1970 Women's World Cup
The 1970 Women's World Cup (Italian: Coppa del Mondo; sponsored name Martini & Rossi Cup) was an association football tournament organised by the Federation of Independent European Female Football (FIEFF) in Italy in July 1970.[1] It featured women's teams from seven countries and is the first known tournament to be named as a women's football World Cup.
Matches were played in Genoa, Bologna, Milan, Bari, Salerno, Naples, and the third-place playoff and final were both in Turin.
The tournament was won by Denmark, represented by Boldklubben Femina.
The tournament
Eight teams were scheduled to appear in the tournament, but only seven could participate: England, West Germany, Denmark, Mexico, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.[2] The eighth team, Czechoslovakia, would have been the only country from Europe's Eastern Bloc to compete, but the team withdrew[1] because of visa issues.[2]
The crowds for the tournament were "30,000-strong".[3] Denmark won the tournament after beating Italy 2–0 in the final.[2]
Teams were divided into the "northern" group (in Genoa, Bologna and Milan), and "southern" (Bari, Salerno, Naples) with the top teams meeting in the final.
The tournament did not involve FIFA, which had held the first men's World Cup in 1930 but did not hold any women's event until 1988. The host country's matches are considered official by the Italian Football Federation. The Italian women's league had been established in 1968.[4]
Mexico, a losing semi-finalist 2–1 to Italy, were described as the "revelation" of the tournament.[5]
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 6 July — Genova | ||||||||||
 England | 5 | |||||||||
| 10 July — Milan | ||||||||||
 West Germany | 1 | |||||||||
| England | 0 | |||||||||
| 9 July — Bologna | ||||||||||
 Denmark | 2 | |||||||||
| Denmark | 6 | |||||||||
| 13 July — Torino | ||||||||||
| West Germany | 1 | |||||||||
| Denmark | 2 | |||||||||
| 6 July — Bari | ||||||||||
 Italy | 0 | |||||||||
 Mexico | 9 | |||||||||
| 11 July — Napoli | ||||||||||
 Austria | 0 | |||||||||
| Mexico | 1 | |||||||||
| 9 July — Salerno | ||||||||||
| Italy | 2 | Third place | ||||||||
| Italy | 2 | |||||||||
| 15 July — Torino | ||||||||||
 Switzerland | 1 | |||||||||
| Mexico | 3 | |||||||||
| England | 2 | |||||||||
Quarter-finals
| England | 5–1 | West Germany |
|---|---|---|
Briggs  1', 9' Stockley 25' (pen) Cross 36' Lopez 61' |
Schmitz 49' |
Czechoslovakia withdrew due to visa issues, and so West Germany were given a second chance instead.
| Denmark | 6–1 | West Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Evers 8', 35', 69' Christensen 9', 19' E. Hansen 24' |
Arzdorf 15' |
| Italy | 2–1 | Switzerland |
|---|---|---|
| Mella 15' Avon 68' |
Ripamonti 40' |
Third place play-off
Memorials
Tournament memorabilia was collected at an exhibition in Pessione di Chieri (Turin) from June to August 2019.[6]
Later tournaments
The tournament was followed by the 1971 Women's World Cup in Mexico, and the series of five Mundialito tournaments from 1981–1988 in Japan and Italy, before the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament and 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup, both in China.[7]
References
- Pieper, Lindsay. "The Beleaguered History of the Women's World Cup (2 Jul 2015)". US Sport History. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- "Coppa del Mondo (Women) 1970". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- Bill Wilson (7 December 2018). "Mexico 1971: When women's football hit the big time". BBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- Seneghini, Federica. "Noi, calciatrici, vi raccontiamo com'è scendere in campo nel Paese degli azzurri". Corriere Della Sera. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- "July 1970 the first women's World Cup". La Lazio al femminile. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- Santoro, Gisella (26 June 2019). "Martini celebrates the first women's football World Cup in 1970". golditacco.it. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- Anna Kessel (4 June 2015). "Women's World Cup: from unofficial tournaments to record-breaking event". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
Bibliography
- Barboni, Luca; Cecchi, Gabriele (1999). Annuario del calcio femminile 1999-2000 (in Italian). Fornacette (Pisa, Italy): Mariposa Editrice S.r.l. pp. 230–231.