2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's football world championship tournament. The tournament was hosted by Canada for the first time and by a North American country for the third time. Matches were played in six cities across Canada in five time zones. The tournament began on 6 June 2015, and finished with the final on 5 July 2015[1] with a United States victory over Japan.

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
Coupe du monde féminine de la FIFA 2015
Tournament details
Host countryCanada
Dates6 June – 5 July
Teams24 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s)6 (in 6 host cities)
Final positions
Champions United States (3rd title)
Runners-up Japan
Third place England
Fourth place Germany
Tournament statistics
Matches played52
Goals scored146 (2.81 per match)
Attendance1,353,506 (26,029 per match)
Top scorer(s) Célia Šašić
Carli Lloyd
(6 goals each)
Best player(s) Carli Lloyd
Best young player Kadeisha Buchanan
Best goalkeeper Hope Solo
Fair play award France

The 2015 tournament saw the World Cup expanded to 24 teams from 16 in 2011.[2] Canada's team received direct entry as host and a qualification tournament of 134 teams was held for the remaining 23 places. With the expanded tournament, eight teams made their Women's World Cup debut.[2] All previous Women's World Cup finalists qualified for the tournament, with defending champions Japan and returning champions Germany (2003, 2007) and the United States (1991, 1999) among the seeded teams.[3]

The 2015 tournament used goal-line technology for the first time with the Hawk-Eye system. It was also the first World Cup for either men or women to be played on artificial turf, with all matches played on such surfaces, even though there were some initial concerns over a possible increased risk of injuries.

Host selection

The bidding for each FIFA Women's World Cup typically includes hosting rights for the previous year's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup (similar to the men's version, in which the host nation stages the Confederations Cup the year before). Bids for the tournament were required to be submitted by December 2010. Only two bids were submitted:[4]

Country
Canada[5]
Zimbabwe (withdrawn)

Zimbabwe withdrew its bid on 1 March 2011.[6] The country was seen as a long shot as its women's team was ranked 103rd in the world at the time of the bid and has never qualified for a Women's World Cup. There was also ongoing political and economic instability in the country.[7]

The selected host, Canada, had previously hosted FIFA tournaments including the 1987 FIFA U-16 World Championship, 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which set an attendance record for that tournament, and most recently the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Qualification
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

For 2015, the number of qualifying teams grew from 16 to 24 and scheduled matches increased from 32 to 52.[8] On 11 June 2012, FIFA announced a change to the allocation of the qualifying berths for its continental confederations. The FIFA Executive Committee approved the following slot allocation and the distribution of eight new slots:[9]

...allocation of slots for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
Confederation/hostsContinent/countrySlotsChange from 2011
AFCAsia52 up
CAFAfrica31 up
CONCACAFNorth, Central America and Caribbean3.51 up
CONMEBOLSouth America2.50.5 up
OFCOceania1–
UEFAEurope83.5 up
HostsCanada1–
Total248 up

After North Korea had several players test positive for performance-enhancing drugs during the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, FIFA banned the North Korean team from participating in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. This was the first time a women's team had been banned from a Women's World Cup, and it was the first time since 1995 that North Korea did not participate in a Women's World Cup.[10]

Qualified teams

The latest published FIFA Rankings prior to the tournament (March 2015) are shown in brackets.[11]

Venues

The cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton were selected to host tournament matches.[12] Halifax was also considered, but removed itself from contention in March 2012.[13] Toronto decided not to bid, due to potential conflicts with the 2015 Pan American Games.[14] Due to FIFA's policy against commercial sponsorship of stadium names, Investors Group Field in Winnipeg and TD Place Stadium in Ottawa were respectively known as Winnipeg Stadium[15] and Lansdowne Stadium[16] during the tournament. Seating capacities shown in table below are as configured for these FIFA games.

Edmonton Montreal Vancouver Winnipeg
Commonwealth Stadium Olympic Stadium BC Place Investors Group Field
(Winnipeg Stadium)
53°33′35″N 113°28′34″W 45°33′28″N 73°33′7″W 49°16′36″N 123°6′43″W 49°48′28″N 97°8′45″W
Capacity: 56,302 Capacity: 56,040 Capacity: 54,320 Capacity: 33,422
Surface: FieldTurf Duraspine Surface: Xtreme Turf Surface: Polytan LigaTurf Surface: FieldTurf Revolution
Time zone: MDT (UTC−6) Time zone: EDT (UTC−4) Time zone: PDT (UTC−7) Time zone: CDT (UTC−5)
 Ottawa Moncton
TD Place Stadium
(Lansdowne Stadium)		 Moncton Stadium
45°23′53.44″N 75°41′1.14″W 46°6′30″N 64°47′0″W
Capacity: 24,000 Capacity: 13,000
Surface: FieldTurf Surface: FieldTurf
Time zone: EDT (UTC−4) Time zone: ADT (UTC−3)

Innovations

The tournament introduced goal-line technology with the Hawk-Eye system by which it is possible to show on the stadium screen if the ball was in or not.[17][18] It was also the first World Cup for either men or women to be played on artificial turf, with all matches played on such surfaces. There were some initial concerns (please see below) over a possible increased risk of injuries from playing on artificial turf, but a legal challenge suggesting matches should be played on grass as in similar men's tournaments was dropped in January 2015.[19]

Squads
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup squads

Each team's squad for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup consisted of 23 players (three of whom must be goalkeepers), two more than the 2011 tournament, and the same number as men's World Cup squads. Each participating national association was required to confirm its final 23-player squad no later than 10 working days before the start of the tournament. Replacement of seriously injured players was permitted until 24 hours before the team in question's first World Cup game.[20]

The squads were officially announced by FIFA on 28 May 2015.[21][22] Formiga of Brazil and Homare Sawa of Japan were included in World Cup squads for the sixth time, a record for any men or women players.[23]

Match officials

A total of 22 referees, 7 support referees, and 44 assistant referees were selected for the tournament.[24][25]

Draw

The draw was held on 6 December 2014 at 12:00 Eastern Standard Time at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.[26] The seeding pots were announced the day before. Because UEFA qualified eight teams into the final tournament, which had only six groups, two groups by necessity had to contain two European teams. Otherwise, no group could have more than one team from any confederation.[27][n 1]

Group stage

The 24 teams of the tournament were arranged into 6 groups labelled A to F. The provisional match schedule for the tournament was released on 21 March 2013,[36] with the hosts, Canada, placed in position A1. The final schedule with match times was released on the same day right after the draw was made.[37]

The first round, or group stage, saw the twenty four teams divided into six groups of four teams. Each group was played in a round-robin-format of six games, where each team played one match against each of the other teams in the same group. Teams were awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and none for a defeat. The winners and runners-up from each group, as well as the best four third-placed teams, qualified for the first round of the knockout stage.[20]

Tiebreakers

The ranking of each team in each group were determined as follows:[20]

  1. Points obtained in all group matches;
  2. Goal difference in all group matches;
  3. Number of goals scored in all group matches;
  4. Points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  5. Goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  6. Number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
  7. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee.

Group A
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Canada (H) 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  China PR 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
3  Netherlands 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
4  New Zealand 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
Source: FIFA
(H) Host.
Canada 1–0 China PR
 Report
Attendance: 53,058[38]
New Zealand 0–1 Netherlands
Report
Attendance: 53,058[39]
Referee: Quetzalli Alvarado (Mexico)
China PR 1–0 Netherlands
 Report
Attendance: 35,544[40]
Referee: Yeimy Martínez (Colombia)
Canada 0–0 New Zealand
Report
Attendance: 35,544[41]
Netherlands 1–1 Canada
 Report
Attendance: 45,420[42]
China PR 2–2 New Zealand
 Report
Attendance: 26,191[43]

Group B
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Germany 3 2 1 0 15 1 +14 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Norway 3 2 1 0 8 2 +6 7
3  Thailand 3 1 0 2 3 10 −7 3
4  Ivory Coast 3 0 0 3 3 16 −13 0
Source: FIFA
Norway 4–0 Thailand
 Report
Attendance: 20,953[44]
Germany 10–0 Ivory Coast
 Report
Attendance: 20,953[45]
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (Canada)
Germany 1–1 Norway
 Report
Attendance: 18,987[46]
Ivory Coast 2–3 Thailand
 Report
Attendance: 18,987[47]
Thailand 0–4 Germany
Report
Attendance: 26,191[48]
Ivory Coast 1–3 Norway
 Report
Attendance: 7,147[49]

Group C
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Cameroon 3 2 0 1 9 3 +6 6
3   Switzerland 3 1 0 2 11 4 +7 3
4  Ecuador 3 0 0 3 1 17 −16 0
Source: FIFA
Cameroon 6–0 Ecuador
 Report
Attendance: 25,942[50]
Japan 1–0  Switzerland
 Report
Attendance: 25,942[51]
Switzerland  10–1 Ecuador
 Report
Attendance: 31,441[52]
Referee: Rita Gani (Malaysia)
Japan 2–1 Cameroon
 Report
Attendance: 31,441[53]
Ecuador 0–1 Japan
Report
Attendance: 14,522[54]
Switzerland  1–2 Cameroon
 Report
Attendance: 10,177[55]

Group D
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United States 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Australia 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
3  Sweden 3 0 3 0 4 4 0 3
4  Nigeria 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Sweden 3–3 Nigeria
 Report
Attendance: 31,148[56]
United States 3–1 Australia
 Report
Attendance: 31,148[57]
Australia 2–0 Nigeria
 Report
Attendance: 32,716[58]
United States 0–0 Sweden
Report
Attendance: 32,716[59]
Referee: Sachiko Yamagishi (Japan)
Nigeria 0–1 United States
Report
Attendance: 52,193[60]
Australia 1–1 Sweden
 Report
Attendance: 10,177[61]

Group E
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Brazil 3 3 0 0 4 0 +4 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  South Korea 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4
3  Costa Rica 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
4  Spain 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 1
Source: FIFA
Spain 1–1 Costa Rica
 Report
Attendance: 10,175[62]
Brazil 2–0 South Korea
 Report
Attendance: 10,175[63]
Brazil 1–0 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 28,623[64]
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (Canada)
South Korea 2–2 Costa Rica
 Report
Attendance: 28,623[65]
Costa Rica 0–1 Brazil
Report
Attendance: 9,543[66]
Referee: Efthalia Mitsi (Greece)
South Korea 2–1 Spain
 Report
Attendance: 21,562[67]

Group F
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  England 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
3  Colombia 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
4  Mexico 3 0 1 2 2 8 −6 1
Source: FIFA
France 1–0 England
 Report
Attendance: 11,686[68]
Referee: Efthalia Mitsi (Greece)
Colombia 1–1 Mexico
 Report
Attendance: 11,686[69]
France 0–2 Colombia
Report
Attendance: 13,138[70]
Referee: Qin Liang (China PR)
England 2–1 Mexico
 Report
Attendance: 13,138[71]
Mexico 0–5 France
Report
Attendance: 21,562[72]
Referee: Sachiko Yamagishi (Japan)
England 2–1 Colombia
 Report
Attendance: 13,862[73]
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (Canada)

Ranking of third-placed teams

The four best third-placed teams from the six groups advanced to the knockout stage along with the six group winners and six runners-up.[20]

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 F  Colombia 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4 Advance to knockout stage
2 A  Netherlands 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
3 C   Switzerland 3 1 0 2 11 4 +7 3
4 D  Sweden 3 0 3 0 4 4 0 3
5 B  Thailand 3 1 0 2 3 10 −7 3
6 E  Costa Rica 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Drawing of lots.

Knockout stage
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage

The knockout stage comprises the 16 teams that advanced from the group stage of the tournament. There are four rounds of matches, with each round eliminating half of the teams entering that round. The successive rounds are the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final. There is also a match to decide third and fourth place. For each game in the knockout stage, any draw at 90 minutes is followed by 30 minutes of extra time; if scores are still level, there is a penalty shootout to determine who progresses to the next round.[20] Single yellow cards accrued will be cancelled after the quarter-finals, therefore ensuring that no players miss the Final because of receiving a caution in the semi-finals.[74]

Three spots in the 2016 Summer Olympics women's football tournament were filled by the UEFA teams that progress the furthest in the tournament, other than England.[75][76][n 2] Two spots went to France and Germany which both reached the quarter-finals.[80] The third spot was a tie between four teams eliminated in the round of 16: Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. A play-off tournament in March 2016 determined UEFA's third Olympic qualifier to be Sweden.[81][82]

Bracket
 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
20 June – Edmonton
 
 
 China PR1
 
26 June – Ottawa
 
 Cameroon0
 
 China PR0
 
22 June – Edmonton
 
 United States1
 
 United States2
 
30 June – Montreal
 
 Colombia0
 
 United States2
 
20 June – Ottawa
 
 Germany0
 
 Germany4
 
26 June – Montreal
 
 Sweden1
 
 Germany (p)1 (5)
 
21 June – Montreal
 
 France1 (4)
 
 France3
 
5 July – Vancouver
 
 South Korea0
 
 United States5
 
21 June – Moncton
 
 Japan2
 
 Brazil0
 
27 June – Edmonton
 
 Australia1
 
 Australia0
 
23 June – Vancouver
 
 Japan1
 
 Japan2
 
1 July – Edmonton
 
 Netherlands1
 
 Japan2
 
22 June – Ottawa
 
 England1 Third place play-off
 
 Norway1
 
27 June – Vancouver4 July – Edmonton
 
 England2
 
 England2 Germany0
 
21 June – Vancouver
 
 Canada1  England (a.e.t.)1
 
 Canada1
 
 
  Switzerland0
 

Round of 16
Germany 4–1 Sweden
 Report
Attendance: 22,486[83]
China PR 1–0 Cameroon
 Report
Attendance: 15,958[84]
Brazil 0–1 Australia
Report
Attendance: 12,054[85]
France 3–0 South Korea
 Report
Attendance: 15,518[86]
Canada 1–0  Switzerland
 Report
Attendance: 53,855[87]
Norway 1–2 England
 Report
Attendance: 19,829[88]
United States 2–0 Colombia
 Report
Attendance: 19,412[89]
Japan 2–1 Netherlands
 Report
Attendance: 28,717[90]

Quarter-finals
Germany 1–1 (a.e.t.) France
 Report
Penalties
 5–4
Attendance: 24,859[91]
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (Canada)
China PR 0–1 United States
Report
Attendance: 24,141[92]
Australia 0–1 Japan
Report
Attendance: 19,814[93]
England 2–1 Canada
 Report
Attendance: 54,027[94]

Semi-finals
United States 2–0 Germany
 Report
Attendance: 51,176[95]
Japan 2–1 England
 Report
Attendance: 31,467[96]

Third place play-off
Germany 0–1 (a.e.t.) England
Report
Attendance: 21,483[97]

Final
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final
United States 5–2 Japan
 Report
Attendance: 53,341[98]

Awards
See also: FIFA Women's World Cup awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament.[99] The Golden Ball (best overall player), Golden Boot (top scorer) and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper) awards were sponsored by Adidas, while the Best Young Player and Goal of the Tournament awards were sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company.[100] FIFA.com shortlisted twelve goals for users to vote on as the tournaments' best,[101] with the poll closing on 13 July 2015.[102]

Golden Ball Silver Ball Bronze Ball
Carli Lloyd Amandine Henry Aya Miyama
Golden Boot Silver Boot Bronze Boot
Célia Šašić Carli Lloyd Anja Mittag
6 goals, 1 assist
553 minutes played		 6 goals, 1 assist
630 minutes played		 5 goals, 2 assists
474 minutes played
Golden Glove
Hope Solo
Best Young Player
Kadeisha Buchanan
Goal of the Tournament
Carli Lloyd
 16' for 4–0 in Final vs Japan (5 July)
FIFA Fair Play Award
 France

On 2 July 2015, following the semi-finals, FIFA announced the shortlists for three of the tournament awards.[103][104] The following candidates were ultimately not selected:

All-Star Squad

The All-Star Squad elected by FIFA's Technical Study Group consists of the following players:[105]

Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Forwards

Karen Bardsley
Nadine Angerer
Hope Solo

Kadeisha Buchanan
Lucy Bronze
Steph Houghton
Wendie Renard
Saori Ariyoshi
Julie Johnston
Meghan Klingenberg

Elise Kellond-Knight
Amandine Henry
Eugénie Le Sommer
Aya Miyama
Mizuho Sakaguchi
Rumi Utsugi
Carli Lloyd
Megan Rapinoe

Lisa De Vanna
Élodie Thomis
Anja Mittag
Célia Šašić
Ramona Bachmann

Dream Team

The Dream Team elected by users of fifa.com consists of the following players and manager:[106]

Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Forwards Manager

Hope Solo

Kadeisha Buchanan
Wendie Renard
Julie Johnston
Ali Krieger

Aya Miyama
Carli Lloyd
Megan Rapinoe

Anja Mittag
Célia Šašić
Alex Morgan

Silvia Neid

Prize money

The total prize money offered by FIFA for the tournament was US$15 million,[107] which represents 2.6% of the total prize money for the 2014 Men's World Cup ($576 million).[108] The winning team, United States, received $2 million,[107] representing 5.7% of the amount received by Germany for winning the 2014 Men's World Cup ($35 million).[108]

Statistics
Main article: 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup statistics

Goalscorers

There were 146 goals scored in 52 matches, for an average of 2.81 goals per match. Célia Šašić of Germany and Carli Lloyd of the United States finished as the top scorers with six goals.

6 goals

5 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

2 own goals

Source: FIFA[109]

Assists

Lena Goeßling of Germany won the assists table with four assists.

4 assists

3 assists

2 assists

1 assist

Source: FIFA Technical Report

Tournament ranking

Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Final result
1 D  United States 7 6 1 0 14 3 +11 19 Champions
2 C  Japan 7 6 0 1 11 8 +3 18 Runners-up
3 F  England 7 5 0 2 10 7 +3 15 Third place
4 B  Germany 7 3 2 2 20 6 +14 11 Fourth place
5 F  France 5 3 1 1 10 3 +7 10 Eliminated in
quarter-finals
6 A  Canada (H) 5 2 2 1 4 3 +1 8
7 D  Australia 5 2 1 2 5 5 0 7
8 A  China PR 5 2 1 2 4 4 0 7
9 E  Brazil 4 3 0 1 4 1 +3 9 Eliminated in
round of 16
10 B  Norway 4 2 1 1 9 4 +5 7
11 C  Cameroon 4 2 0 2 9 4 +5 6
12 F  Colombia 4 1 1 2 4 5 −1 4
13 A  Netherlands 4 1 1 2 3 4 −1 4
14 E  South Korea 4 1 1 2 4 8 −4 4
15 C   Switzerland 4 1 0 3 11 5 +6 3
16 D  Sweden 4 0 3 1 5 8 −3 3
17 B  Thailand 3 1 0 2 3 10 −7 3 Eliminated in
group stage
18 E  Costa Rica 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
19 A  New Zealand 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
20 E  Spain 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 1
21 D  Nigeria 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1
22 F  Mexico 3 0 1 2 2 8 −6 1
23 B  Ivory Coast 3 0 0 3 3 16 −13 0
24 C  Ecuador 3 0 0 3 1 17 −16 0
Source: FIFA Technical Report[110]
(H) Host.

Controversies

All of the tournament's venues had fields composed of artificial turf, which some players believe results in a higher risk of injuries to players. More than 50 players protested the use of the surface instead of grass on the basis of gender discrimination. They filed a lawsuit challenging FIFA's decision to play on artificial turf, claiming FIFA would never allow the men's World Cup to be played on "unsafe" artificial turf and thus the organizers had violated the Canadian Human Rights Act.[111][112][113] 2012 Women's World Player of the Year Abby Wambach noted "The men would strike playing on artificial turf."[114] The controversial issue of gender equality and an equal playing field for all sparked debate in many countries around the world. An application filed on 1 October 2014 with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal by a group of women's international soccer players against FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association noted that, in 1994, FIFA spent $2 million to plant natural grass over artificial turf in New Jersey and Detroit.[115][116] Some celebrities and prominent players showed their support for the women soccer players in defence of their lawsuit, including United States men's team keeper Tim Howard. Even with the possibility of boycotts, FIFA's head of women's competitions, Tatjana Haenni, made it clear "We play on artificial turf and there's no Plan B."[117][118] In January 2015, the lawsuit was withdrawn by the players.[119]

Fox commentator Julie Stewart-Binks measured the turf temperature at several games. On 21 June at the Canada vs Switzerland round of 16 game in Vancouver, she reported that her thermometer was "officially broken". Her thermometer appears to max out at 120 °F (49 °C).[120]

During the tournament, Australian striker Michelle Heyman slammed the playing conditions, saying the turf is like "walking on hot coals" and the players feet "just turn white, your skin is all ripped off".[121]

Prior to the start of the Australia vs Japan quarterfinal in Edmonton on 27 June, Fox commentator Kyndra de St. Aubin measured the air temperature at 82 °F (28 °C) and the turf temperature at 150 °F (66 °C). Despite such dangerous conditions, officials decided against taking cooling breaks during the match because the air temperature was under 32 °C (90 °F). As the game wore on, players appeared noticeably exhausted due to the playing conditions.[122]

Attendance was largely inflated by FIFA as single tickets were sold for double-headers during the group stages. "This allows FIFA to report the combined attendance for both matches as the attendance for each match when in reality the true attendance for one or both matches is likely to be much different."[123]

Broadcasting
Fox Sports' studio for the Women's World Cup at Jack Poole Plaza; the tournament marked one of their first under a new rights agreement for FIFA tournaments.

The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was one of the first FIFA tournaments under new rights deals in two North American markets. In its host country of Canada, Bell Media acquired the broadcast rights; the competition was televised by CTV and TSN in English, and Réseau des sports (RDS) in French.[124][125] In the United States, English-language television rights were held by Fox Sports with coverage carried on the main Fox broadcast network, along with the Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 pay TV channels. Spanish-language rights were held by Telemundo and sister cable network NBC Universo.[126] Fox constructed a temporary studio for the Women's World Cup at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver, located outside the Vancouver Convention Centre.[127][128]

In December 2014, the European Broadcasting Union extended its rights to FIFA tournaments for its members in 37 countries, including the 2015 Women's World Cup.[129] In the United Kingdom, all matches from the tournament were shown by the BBC via BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC Red Button on TV and Radio 5 Live on radio.[130] In Australia, SBS aired all 52 matches live online, and televised 41 matches live, with the only matches not televised live being those which aired concurrently.[131]

Mascot and sponsors

On 17 June 2014, the mascot of the tournament, Shuéme, a female great white owl was unveiled at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.[132]

The five top-tier sponsors were Coca-Cola, Adidas, Hyundai–Kia, Visa, and Gazprom. In the final week of the tournament, the Canadian government added Gazprom to a list of organizations sanctioned for supporting the Russian annexation of Crimea. Media suggested the addition was delayed to reduce embarrassment to FIFA.[133]

See also

Notes
  1. Despite having a lower FIFA ranking, Brazil was seeded ahead of Sweden for geographical reasons.[28][29][30] Before the draw, the Organizing Committee placed the seeded teams in the following groups: Germany in Group B, Japan in Group C, United States in Group D, Brazil in Group E, and France in Group F; Canada were already in Group A as the tournament host.[31] Not drawing the groups for the seeded teams has drawn some criticism.[32][33][34] A FIFA spokesperson later confirmed that teams were allocated to certain groups for promotional reasons.[35]
  2. Even though England were one of the top three UEFA teams in the World Cup, they were not eligible to play at the Olympics. The English Football Association (FA) is affiliated to the British Olympic Association and on 2 March 2015 said it wanted a British Olympic team to compete if England earned a place.[77] Following strong objections from the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations, and a commitment from FIFA that they would not allow entry of a British team unless all four Home Nations agreed, the FA announced on 30 March 2015 that they would not seek entry into the Olympic tournament.[78] Similar circumstances prevented them from playing in the 2008 Olympics, when England finished as one of the top three UEFA teams in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.[79] Great Britain did compete in 2012 as the host nation.

References
  1. "FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 – Matches – USA v Japan". FIFA.com. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  2. Kessel, Anna. "Biggest Women's World Cup to kick off in Canada amid surface tension". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  3. "USA Draws The 'Group of Death' In 2015 Women's World Cup". Five Thirty Eight. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  4. "Remarkable interest in hosting FIFA competitions". FIFA. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  5. cbc.ca; Canada in mix for 2015 Women's World Cup; 17 January 2010
  6. "Zimbabwe withdraws bid to host 2015 Women's World Cup". BBC. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  7. Reed, Nigel (21 February 2011). "2015: The case for Canada". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  8. MacKinnon, John (1 December 2010). "The party's over ... what's next?". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  9. "Qualification slots for Canada 2015 confirmed". FIFA.com. 11 June 2012.
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