2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup was the sixth FIFA Women's World Cup competition, the world championship for women's national football teams. It was held from 26 June to 17 July 2011 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in October 2007. Japan won the final against the United States on a penalty shoot-out following a 2–2 draw after extra time and became the first Asian team to win a senior FIFA World Cup.
| FIFA Frauen-Weltmeisterschaft Deutschland 2011 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Germany |
| Dates | 26 June – 17 July |
| Teams | 16 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 9 (in 9 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Japan (1st title) |
| Runners-up | United States |
| Third place | Sweden |
| Fourth place | France |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 86 (2.69 per match) |
| Attendance | 845,711 (26,428 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Homare Sawa (5 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Homare Sawa |
| Best young player | Caitlin Foord |
| Best goalkeeper | Hope Solo |
| Fair play award | Japan |
The matches were played in nine stadiums in nine host cities around the country, with the final played at the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt. Sixteen teams were selected for participation via a worldwide qualification tournament that began in 2009. In the first round of the tournament finals, the teams competed in round-robin groups of four teams for points, with the top two teams in each group proceeding. These eight teams advanced to the knockout stage, where two rounds of play decided which teams would participate in the final.