Germany women's national football team
Encyclopedia
The German women's national football team represents Germany
in international women's football and is directed by the German Football Association
(DFB). The team – informally called West Germany
in English – played its first international match in 1982. After German reunification
in 1990, the DFB squad remained the national side of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The German national team is one of the most successful in women's football. They are two-time world champions
, having won the 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. Germany is the only nation which has won both the men's and the women's World Cup
. The team has won seven of the ten UEFA European Championships
, claiming the last five titles in a row. Germany has won three bronze medals at the Women's Olympic Football Tournament
, finishing third in 2000, 2004 and 2008. Birgit Prinz
holds the record for most appearances and is the team's all time leading goalscorer. Prinz has also set international records: she has received the FIFA World Player of the Year
award three times and is the joint overall top goalscorer at the Women's World Cup.
Women's football was long met with scepticism in Germany and official matches were banned by the DFB until 1970. However, the popularity of the women's national football team has grown since the team won their first World Cup title. They were chosen as Germany's Sports Team of the Year
in 2003. Silvia Neid
has been the team's head coach since 2005, succeeding Tina Theune after nine years as her assistant. As of September 2011, Germany is ranked No. 2 in the FIFA Women's World Rankings
.
decided to forbid women's football in all its clubs in West Germany
. In its explanation, the DFB cited that "this combative sport is fundamentally foreign to the nature of women" and that "body and soul would inevitably suffer damage". Further, the "display of the body violates etiquette and decency". In spite of this ban, more than 150 unofficial international matches were played in the 1950s and 1960s. On 30 October 1970, the ban on women's football was lifted at the DFB annual convention.
While other football associations had already formed official women's national teams in the 1970s, the DFB long remained uninvolved in women's football. In 1981, DFB official Horst R. Schmidt was invited to send a team to the unofficial women's football world championship. Schmidt accepted the invitation but hid the fact that West Germany had no women's national team at the time. To avoid humiliation, the DFB sent the German club champions Bergisch Gladbach 09, who went on to win the tournament. The DFB now saw a need for action and the women's national team was founded in 1982. DFB president Hermann Neuberger appointed Gero Bisanz, an instructor at the Cologne
Sports College, to set up the team.
. Following the tradition of the men’s team, Switzerland
was chosen as West Germany's first opponent. Doris Kresimon scored the first international goal in the 25th minute. In the second half, 18-year-old Silvia Neid
contributed two goals to the 5–1 victory; Neid later became the assistant coach in 1996 and the head coach in 2005.
With five draws and one defeat, West Germany failed to qualify for the inaugural 1984 European Championship
, finishing third in the qualifying group. In the beginning, Bisanz's primary objective was to close the gap to the Scandinavia
n countries and Italy
– then the strongest teams in Europe. He emphasized training in basic skills and the need for an effective youth programme. Starting in 1985, Bisanz increasingly called-up younger players, but at first had little success with this concept, as West Germany again failed to qualify for the 1987 European Championship
finals.
Undefeated and without conceding a goal, the German team qualified for the European Championship
for the first time in 1989; the tournament was played on home soil in West Germany. The semi-final against Italy was the first international women's football match shown live on German television. The game was decided by a penalty shootout, in which goalkeeper Marion Isbert saved three penalty kicks and scored the winning penalty herself. On 2 July 1989 in Osnabrück
, West Germany played Norway
in the final. Before a crowd of 22,000, they beat favourites Norway and won 4–1 with goals from Ursula Lohn, Heidi Mohr
and Angelika Fehrmann. This victory marked the team's first international title.
After German reunification
, the East German football association joined the DFB. The East German women's national football team had played only one official international match, losing 0–3 to Czechoslovakia in a friendly match on 9 May 1990. The unified German team defended their title successfully at the 1991 European Championship
. After winning all games in the qualifying group, Germany again met Italy in the semi-final, this time winning 3–0. On 14 July 1991, the German team once more faced Norway in the final. The game went to extra time, during which Heidi Mohr and Silvia Neid scored for Germany and secured the 3–1 victory.
In November 1991, Germany participated in the first Women's World Cup in China
. Following victories over Nigeria
, Taiwan
and Italy, the German team reached the quarter-final without conceding a single goal. Silvia Neid scored the first German World Cup goal on 17 November 1991 against Nigeria. Germany won the quarter-final against Denmark 2–1 after extra time, but lost 2–5 in the semi-final to the United States
, who went on to win the tournament. Following a 0–4 defeat in the third-place match against Sweden
, Germany finished fourth in the tournament.
The German team failed to defend their title at the 1993 European Championship
, suffering a semi-final defeat to Italy in a penalty shootout, and later losing 1–3 against Denmark in the third-place playoff. Despite the disappointing result, new talents such as Steffi Jones
, Maren Meinert
and Silke Rottenberg
made their tournament debut and later became key players for the German team.
. After winning all qualification matches, scoring 55 goals, the German team defeated England
6–2 over two legs in the semi-final. Germany met Sweden in the final, which was played at the Fritz Walter Stadion
in Kaiserslautern
, Germany, on 26 March 1995. The Swedish team managed to score early, but Germany came back to win 3–2 with goals from Maren Meinert, Birgit Prinz
and Bettina Wiegmann
.
At the 1995 Women's World Cup in Sweden
, the German team lost against the Scandinavian hosts, but still succeeded in winning their group by beating Japan
and Brazil
. Germany won the quarter-final against England 3–0, and defeated China
1–0 with a late goal by Bettina Wiegmann in the semi-final. On 18 June 1995 in Stockholm
, the German team appeared in their first Women's World Cup final. Facing Norway, they lost the match 0–2, but as runners-up achieved their best World Cup result until then.
Women’s football was first played as an Olympic sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics
. Bettina Wiegmann scored the first Olympic goal in the opening match against Japan, which Germany won 3–2. After losing their second group game against Norway 2–3, and drawing with Brazil 1–1, Germany was eliminated, finishing third in the group with four points from three matches. Head coach Gero Bisanz resigned after the tournament and his assistant since 1983, Tina Theune, took over as the new national coach. Silvia Neid ended her playing career and was appointed the new assistant coach.
The 1997 European Championship
was the first test for new coach Theune. Following a defeat against Norway, Germany finished second in the qualifying group and only secured qualification by beating Iceland
in a relegation play-off. After drawing with Italy and Norway, a victory over Denmark in the last group game saw the German team go through to the knockout stage. They beat Sweden 1–0 in the semi-final, and on 12 July 1997, claimed their fourth European championship with a 2–0 win over Italy, with goals from Sandra Minnert
and Birgit Prinz.
At the 1999 Women's World Cup in the United States, the German team also failed to qualify directly, but managed to beat the Ukraine
in a qualifying play-off. Germany started their World Cup campaign by drawing with Italy and winning 6–0 over Mexico
. In the last group game, Germany drew 3–3 against Brazil; by conceding a last minute equalizer, Germany failed to win the group and subsequently had to face the hosts in the quarter-final. With 54,642 people in attendance, among them U.S. President Bill Clinton
, the crowd at the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium
was the biggest the German team had ever played in front of. Despite leading twice, they lost 2–3 to the eventual World Cup winners.
Germany competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics
, winning all three group games against Australia, Brazil and Sweden. The German team dominated the semi-final against Norway, but lost the game 0–1 after an own goal
by Tina Wunderlich
in the 80th minute. They beat Brazil 2–0 in the third place match with goals from Birgit Prinz and Renate Lingor
, and won the bronze medal. It was the first Olympic medal for the German Football Associations since 1988 when the men's team also won bronze.
In 2001, Germany hosted the European Championship
. Following victories over Sweden, Russia
and England in the group stage, the German team beat Norway 1–0 in the semi-final courtesy of a diving header by Sandra Smisek
. On 7 July 2001 in Ulm
, they met Sweden in the final, which was played in heavy rain. The game was scoreless after 90 minutes and went to extra time, where Claudia Müller
scored a golden goal
and secured the fifth European title for Germany.
At the 2003 Women's World Cup in the United States, Germany was drawn in a group with Canada, Japan and Argentina
. After winning all three group games, the German team defeated Russia 7–1 in the quarter-final, which set up another clash with the United States. Germany's Kerstin Garefrekes
scored after 15 minutes and goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg made several key saves. In the dying minutes of the semi-final, Maren Meinert and Birgit Prinz sealed the 3–0 win. On 12 October 2003, Germany met Sweden in the World Cup final in Los Angeles
. The Scandinavians went ahead before half time, but Maren Meinert equalized shortly after the break. The game went to extra time, where Nia Künzer
headed the winning golden goal in the 98th minute to claim Germany's first Women's World Cup title. Birgit Prinz was honoured as the tournament's best player and top goalscorer.
With wins over China and Mexico, the German team finished first in their group at the 2004 Summer Olympics
. They beat Nigeria 2–1 in the quarter-final, but suffered a 1–2 semi-final loss to the United States after extra time. In the third place match, Germany defeated Sweden 1–0 with a goal by Renate Lingor, winning the teams's second Olympic bronze medal.
The 2005 European Championship
was held in England. With wins over Norway, Italy and France
in Round 1, the German team advanced to the semi-final, where they defeated Finland
4–1. On 19 June 2005, they met Norway for the third time in the European championship final. Germany won 3–1 with goals from Inka Grings
, Renate Lingor and Birgit Prinz and added a sixth European title. Head coach Tina Theune stepped down after the tournament and her assistant Silvia Neid took over as national coach. In 2006, Germany won the annual Algarve Cup
for the first time.
As reigning world champion, Germany played the opening game at the 2007 Women's World Cup in China, outclassing Argentina 11–0. After a goalless draw against England and a 2–0 win over Japan, the German team defeated North Korea 3–0 in the quarter-final. They beat Norway by the same result in the semi-final, with goals from Kerstin Stegemann
, Martina Müller
and a Norwegian own goal. On 30 September 2007, Germany faced Brazil in the World Cup final in Shanghai
. Birgit Prinz put Germany in front after half time and goalkeeper Nadine Angerer saved a penalty by Brazilian Marta. Simone Laudehr
scored a second goal after 86 minutes, which sealed the German 2–0 victory. Germany was the first team (men's and women's game) to win the World Cup without conceding a goal and the first to successfully defend the Women's World Cup title. With 14 goals, Prinz became the tournament's overall top goalscorer.
In a replay of the 2007 World Cup final, the German team drew 0–0 with Brazil in the opening game at the 2008 Summer Olympics. They then beat both Nigeria and North Korea to advance to the quarter-final, where they defeated Sweden 2–0 after extra time. In the semi-final, Germany again met Brazil. Birgit Prinz scored in the 10th minute, but the German team lost 1–4 after conceding three goals to Brazilian counter-attacks in the second half. They beat Japan 2–0 for the bronze medal, with Fatmire Bajramaj
scoring both goals. The third consecutive semi-final loss at the Olympics was seen as a disappointment by both the players and the German press. The team's overall performance and head coach Silvia Neid were harshly criticised in the media.
Germany qualified for the 2009 European Championship
in Finland
winning all eight games and scoring 34 goals. They beat Norway, France and Iceland in the group stage to advance to the quarter-final, where they won 2–1 against Italy. After trailing Norway at half-time in the semi-final, the German team fought back to a 3–1 victory. On 10 September 2009, they defeated England 6–2 for their seventh European trophy. Birgit Prinz and Inka Grings scored twice, with Melanie Behringer
and Kim Kulig
also scoring. Grings retained her award as the tournament's top scorer from 2005, while Germany extended their winning streak at the European Championship finals to a 19-match run dating back to 1997.
In 2011, Germany was host of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. The German team won the three games on the group stage, over Canada, France and Nigeria. On the quarterfinals, the team suffered an upset by Japan, who won on overtime with a goal by Karina Maruyama
. The defeat broke the Germans' streak of sixteen undefeated games at the World Cup.
and scored 48 goals. The coach's official title is DFB-Trainer and he or she is employed by the German Football Association.
The German national football team has no national stadium
. Like the men, the women's team play their home matches in different stadiums throughout the country. As of June 2011, they have played in 87 different German cities. Most home games have been held in Osnabrück
with six matches, followed by Ulm
(five games), and Bochum
, Kaiserslautern
, Koblenz
, Lüdenscheid
, Rheine
, Siegen
and Weil am Rhein
(three games each). The first home match in former East Germany was played in Aue
in May 1991.
In the 1980s and 1990s, home matches were mostly played in smaller towns with no professional football clubs. As the team became more successful, especially after the World Cup win in 2003, the number of spectators rose accordingly. Today, the team usually plays in stadiums with 10,000 to 25,000 seats. The ten largest German cities have only hosted five international matches. The team have played twice in Frankfurt
and Berlin
, and once Hamburg
. Bremen
, Dortmund
, Düsseldorf
, Essen
, Cologne
, Munich
and Stuttgart
have never hosted an international match of the women's team.
Outside Germany, they have played the most games in Faro
, Portugal
(10 matches), and Guangzhou
, China
(six matches), the host cities of the annual Algarve Cup
and the Four Nations Tournament respectively. They have also played five games in Albufeira
, Portugal (also an Algarve Cup venue), and four times in Minneapolis in the United States.
The record attendance for Germany was 73,680 in the 2011 Women's World Cup opening game against Canada
at the Olympic Stadium
in Berlin
. That game also set a new European record in women's football. Away from home, the team's crowd record was 54,642 in the 1999 Women's World Cup quarter-final against the United States
at the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium
in Landover
.
The German women's national football team wears white shirts with black shorts and white socks, following the tradition of the German men's team
– black and white are the colours of Prussia
. The current change kit is red and black, with black shorts and red socks. In the past, Germany also used green shirts with white shorts and green socks as the away kit.
The women's national team originally played with the emblem of the German men's team, a variation of the DFB logo with the Federal Eagle of Germany (Bundesadler) and three stars at the top for the men's 1954
, 1974
and 1990
World Cup
titles. Since their first Women's World Cup
win in 2003, the team displays its own World Cup titles; initially with one star, and since 2007, with two stars at the top of the emblem. As reigning world champions, Germany also display the newly created "FIFA Women's World Champions Badge" on their shirts since 2009.
In accordance with the rules of the International Olympic Committee
, Germany does not wear its official uniform with the logo of the German Football Association while competing at the Summer Olympics. Instead, the DFB badge is replaced by the coat of arms of Germany
. Like all DFB squads, the women's national team is supplied by Adidas
, which had provided a specifically designed female football jersey since 1999. The team's main sponsor is the German insurance company Allianz
.
, which is often cited as an example of male chauvinism and general lack of interest in the women's national team at that time. This attitude within the German Football Association has changed considerably in the last two decades and current DFB president Theo Zwanziger
is an outspoken supporter of women's football.
Each member of the 2003 Women's World Cup squad received a prearranged bonus of 15,000 euro
s for winning the tournament; four years later the players received 50,000 euros for their successful title defense. In 2009, one million of the 6.7 million DFB members were female.
The 2003 World Cup title marked the breakthrough for the women’s national football team in Germany. The final was watched by 10.48 million viewers on German television (a 33.2 percent market share) and the German team was welcomed home by almost 10,000 fans at Frankfurt's city hall
. Later that year, they were honoured as the 2003 German Sports Team of the Year
. Nia Künzer
's World Cup winning golden goal
was voted Germany's 2003 Goal of the Year
, the first time the award was won by a female player. Since 2005, almost all of the women’s national football team's matches have been shown live on German television.
The final of the 2007 Women's World Cup was seen by 9.05 million television viewers (a 50.5 percent market share). After the team returned to Germany, they were celebrated by a crowd of 20,000 in Frankfurt. In December 2007, all players of the World Cup squad received the Silberne Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf), the highest state decoration
for athletes in Germany. National coach Silvia Neid
was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon
by German president Horst Köhler
.
In 2009, the team's six home matches had an average attendance of 22,753. In a survey of German football fans, 65 percent of the male and 62 percent of the female respondents said they were interested in women's football. However, this popularity is mostly limited to international matches. Although the number of spectators in the women's Bundesliga
has more than doubled since 2003, the average attendance in the 2007–08 season
(887) was still less than three percent of that of the men's Bundesliga
(38,612).
Today, women's football is socially accepted in Germany, although one of the main points of criticism remains the alleged lack of quality compared to the men’s game. The German women’s national team has played several exhibition matches against male teams, most notably losing 0–3 to the VfB Stuttgart
Under-17 squad in preparation for the 2003 World Cup. Most German players dismiss comparisons between the quality of men's and women's football; Renate Lingor
has said they are "two entirely different sports". Players such as Simone Laudehr
, Ariane Hingst
and Melanie Behringer
have stated that men’s football is played at a much faster pace, but also has more interruptions and brutal tackling than the women's game. Linda Bresonik
has said she generally prefers to watch men's football.
qualifying matches against and .
Current team captain Birgit Prinz
holds the record for Germany appearances, having played 214 times since 1994. She is one of 16 German players to have reached 100 caps
. Kerstin Stegemann
is second, having played 191 times; she has the highest number of appearances among retired players. Bettina Wiegmann
, Germany's team captain during the 2003 World Cup win, comes fourth with 154 games. Prinz exceeded Wiegmann’s record as the most capped player in November 2006. Wiegmann is the only honorary captain of the German women’s national football team. At age 31, Kerstin Garefrekes
is the youngest player with over 100 caps.
The title of Germany’s highest goalscorer is also held by Prinz. She scored her first goal in July 1994 against Canada and since then has scored 128 goals (averaging 0.60 goals per game). Heidi Mohr
, as well as being the second-highest scorer, is also the most prolific with 83 goals coming from 104 games (averaging 0.80 goals per game). Two players share the record for goals scored in one match: Conny Pohlers
scored five goals in October 2001 against Portugal
, and Inka Grings
scored five times in February 2004, again facing Portugal. Silvia Neid
, the current German national coach, is the fifth highest goalscorer with 48 goals in 111 games.
The largest margin of victory achieved by Germany is 13–0 against Portugal during a European Championship
qualifying game in November 2003; it was the first match following the 2003 World Cup win. The record defeat, a 0–6 deficit against the United States
, occurred during a friendly match in March 1996.
Silke Rottenberg
has the most appearances for a goalkeeper with 126 caps and 67 games without conceding a goal. Current goalkeeper Nadine Angerer is second, with 100 games (60 without conceding a goal). Bettina Wiegmann holds the record of 14 goals from penalty kicks; Renate Lingor
comes in second with 8 goals. Tina Wunderlich
scored the team's only own goal
in the semi-final of the 2000 Summer Olympics
against Norway
; it was the game's only goal.
The German team also holds several international records. In 2007, they were the first to win two consecutive Women's World Cup
titles and they achieved the biggest win in tournament history by beating Argentina
11–0. Germany is also the only team to win either the men's
or women's World Cup without conceding a goal and the only country to win both World Cups. With 14 goals, Prinz became the overall top goalscorer at the Women's World Cup in 2007, and she and Brazilian Marta are the only women to have received the FIFA World Player of the Year
award at least three times.
, having won the tournament twice and finishing runner-up once. The German team won the World Cup in 2003 and 2007. At the first World Cup in 1991, they finished in fourth place. In 1995, Germany reached the World Cup final, but were defeated by Norway
. The team's worst results were quarter-final losses to the United States in 1999, and Japan
in 2011. Overall, the German team has appeared in three Women's World Cup finals, and is a four-time semi-finalist. They have participated in every Women's World Cup and have a 20–3–5 win–draw–loss record.
and Bettina Wiegmann
scored the first Olympic goal in the opening game of the tournament. However, Germany failed to progress to the knockout stage and was eliminated after Round 1. Four years later the German team won the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
. They again finished third at both the 2004
and the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The German team has qualified for all Women's Olympic Football Tournament
s until 2008. However, they failed to qualify for the 2012 tournament
as UEFA used the 2011 World Cup for qualification, and Germany ended below France
and Sweden
.
in 1984 and 1987. Since 1989, the German team has participated in every tournament and is the record European champion with seven titles. Germany has won the last five championships in a row and has an overall 28–4–1 win–draw–loss record. The worst German result at the European championship finals was finishing fourth in 1993.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in international women's football and is directed by the German Football Association
German Football Association
The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB organises the German football leagues, including the national league, the Bundesliga, and the men's and women's national teams. The DFB is based in Frankfurt and is...
(DFB). The team – informally called West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
in English – played its first international match in 1982. After German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990, the DFB squad remained the national side of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The German national team is one of the most successful in women's football. They are two-time world champions
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
, having won the 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. Germany is the only nation which has won both the men's and the women's World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. The team has won seven of the ten UEFA European Championships
UEFA Women's Championship
The UEFA European Women's Championship, also called the UEFA Women's Euro and unofficially the "European Cup", held every fourth year, is the main competition in women's association football between national teams of the UEFA Confederation...
, claiming the last five titles in a row. Germany has won three bronze medals at the Women's Olympic Football Tournament
Football at the Summer Olympics
Association football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
, finishing third in 2000, 2004 and 2008. Birgit Prinz
Birgit Prinz
Birgit Prinz is a former German female professional association football player. She last played for 1. FFC Frankfurt and the German national team. Prinz is one of the game's most prolific strikers and the FIFA Women's World Cup all-time leading scorer with 14 goals . She has been named FIFA...
holds the record for most appearances and is the team's all time leading goalscorer. Prinz has also set international records: she has received the FIFA World Player of the Year
FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
award three times and is the joint overall top goalscorer at the Women's World Cup.
Women's football was long met with scepticism in Germany and official matches were banned by the DFB until 1970. However, the popularity of the women's national football team has grown since the team won their first World Cup title. They were chosen as Germany's Sports Team of the Year
German Sportspersonality of the year
The German Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 1947, for both men and women. The recordholder is tennis player Steffi Graf . Swimmer Michael Groß, tennis player Boris Becker, and high jumper Ulrike Meyfarth each have four awards...
in 2003. Silvia Neid
Silvia Neid
Silvia Neid is a former professional soccer player, and, since July 2005, has served as the head coach of the Germany women's national football team after having been assistant to Tina Theune-Meyer for some time...
has been the team's head coach since 2005, succeeding Tina Theune after nine years as her assistant. As of September 2011, Germany is ranked No. 2 in the FIFA Women's World Rankings
FIFA Women's World Rankings
The FIFA Women's World Rankings for football were introduced in 2003, with the first rankings published in March of that year, as a follow-on to the existing FIFA World Rankings for men...
.
Early history
In 1955, the DFBGerman Football Association
The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB organises the German football leagues, including the national league, the Bundesliga, and the men's and women's national teams. The DFB is based in Frankfurt and is...
decided to forbid women's football in all its clubs in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. In its explanation, the DFB cited that "this combative sport is fundamentally foreign to the nature of women" and that "body and soul would inevitably suffer damage". Further, the "display of the body violates etiquette and decency". In spite of this ban, more than 150 unofficial international matches were played in the 1950s and 1960s. On 30 October 1970, the ban on women's football was lifted at the DFB annual convention.
While other football associations had already formed official women's national teams in the 1970s, the DFB long remained uninvolved in women's football. In 1981, DFB official Horst R. Schmidt was invited to send a team to the unofficial women's football world championship. Schmidt accepted the invitation but hid the fact that West Germany had no women's national team at the time. To avoid humiliation, the DFB sent the German club champions Bergisch Gladbach 09, who went on to win the tournament. The DFB now saw a need for action and the women's national team was founded in 1982. DFB president Hermann Neuberger appointed Gero Bisanz, an instructor at the Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
Sports College, to set up the team.
1982–1994: Difficult beginnings and first European titles
In September 1982, Bisanz organised two scouting training courses from which he selected a squad of 16 players. The team's first international match took place on 10 November 1982 in KoblenzKoblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
. Following the tradition of the men’s team, Switzerland
Switzerland women's national football team
The Switzerland women's national football team represents Switzerland in international women's football.The team played its first match in 1972...
was chosen as West Germany's first opponent. Doris Kresimon scored the first international goal in the 25th minute. In the second half, 18-year-old Silvia Neid
Silvia Neid
Silvia Neid is a former professional soccer player, and, since July 2005, has served as the head coach of the Germany women's national football team after having been assistant to Tina Theune-Meyer for some time...
contributed two goals to the 5–1 victory; Neid later became the assistant coach in 1996 and the head coach in 2005.
With five draws and one defeat, West Germany failed to qualify for the inaugural 1984 European Championship
1984 European Competition for Women's Football
The 1984 European Competition for Women's Football was won by Sweden on penalties against England. It comprised four qualifying groups, and the winner of each went through to the semi-finals which were played over two legs, home and away...
, finishing third in the qualifying group. In the beginning, Bisanz's primary objective was to close the gap to the Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n countries and Italy
Italy women's national football team
The Italy women's national football team represents Italy in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation .- Performances in the World Cup :...
– then the strongest teams in Europe. He emphasized training in basic skills and the need for an effective youth programme. Starting in 1985, Bisanz increasingly called-up younger players, but at first had little success with this concept, as West Germany again failed to qualify for the 1987 European Championship
1987 European Competition for Women's Football
The 1987 European Competition for Women's Football took place in Norway. It was won by the hosts in a final against defending champions Sweden. Once again, the competition began with four qualifying groups, but this time a host nation was selected for the semi-final stage onwards after the four...
finals.
Undefeated and without conceding a goal, the German team qualified for the European Championship
1989 European Competition for Women's Football
The 1989 European Competition for Women's Football took place in West Germany. It was won by the hosts in a final against defending champions Norway...
for the first time in 1989; the tournament was played on home soil in West Germany. The semi-final against Italy was the first international women's football match shown live on German television. The game was decided by a penalty shootout, in which goalkeeper Marion Isbert saved three penalty kicks and scored the winning penalty herself. On 2 July 1989 in Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
, West Germany played Norway
Norway women's national football team
The Norway women's national football team represents Norway in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, are former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams...
in the final. Before a crowd of 22,000, they beat favourites Norway and won 4–1 with goals from Ursula Lohn, Heidi Mohr
Heidi Mohr
Heidi Mohr is a former German footballer. As a footballer she was renowned for her speed and her ability to shoot with both feet. In 1999 she was voted Europe's Footballer of the Century.-Club career:...
and Angelika Fehrmann. This victory marked the team's first international title.
After German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, the East German football association joined the DFB. The East German women's national football team had played only one official international match, losing 0–3 to Czechoslovakia in a friendly match on 9 May 1990. The unified German team defended their title successfully at the 1991 European Championship
1991 UEFA Women's Championship
The 1991 UEFA Women's Championship took place in Denmark. It was won by Germany in a final against Norway in a repeat of the previous edition's final...
. After winning all games in the qualifying group, Germany again met Italy in the semi-final, this time winning 3–0. On 14 July 1991, the German team once more faced Norway in the final. The game went to extra time, during which Heidi Mohr and Silvia Neid scored for Germany and secured the 3–1 victory.
In November 1991, Germany participated in the first Women's World Cup in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Following victories over Nigeria
Nigeria women's national football team
The Nigeria national women's football team, nicknamed the Super Falcons, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation...
, Taiwan
Chinese Taipei women's national football team
The Chinese Taipei women's national football team is the international women's football team for the Republic of China . -World Cup record:-AFC Women's Asian Cup record:-OFC Women's Championship:...
and Italy, the German team reached the quarter-final without conceding a single goal. Silvia Neid scored the first German World Cup goal on 17 November 1991 against Nigeria. Germany won the quarter-final against Denmark 2–1 after extra time, but lost 2–5 in the semi-final to the United States
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
, who went on to win the tournament. Following a 0–4 defeat in the third-place match against Sweden
Sweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
, Germany finished fourth in the tournament.
The German team failed to defend their title at the 1993 European Championship
1993 UEFA Women's Championship
The 1993 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 1993 was a football tournament that happened between 1991 and 1993 . The final games was held in Italy. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA, the...
, suffering a semi-final defeat to Italy in a penalty shootout, and later losing 1–3 against Denmark in the third-place playoff. Despite the disappointing result, new talents such as Steffi Jones
Steffi Jones
Stephanie Ann "Steffi" Jones is a retired German football defender. She now works as a football administrator, and was in charge of organizing the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.- Biography :...
, Maren Meinert
Maren Meinert
Maren Meinert is a retired German football midfielder/striker and currently the coach for the German U-20 Women's squad...
and Silke Rottenberg
Silke Rottenberg
Silke Rottenberg is a former German football goalkeeper.-Career:She last played for 1. FFC Frankfurt. She announced her retirement from the German national team on May 27, 2008. After the game Germany versus Wales on May 29, 2008, she formally retired from international football...
made their tournament debut and later became key players for the German team.
1995–2002: Olympic and World Cup disappointments
In 1995, Germany won its third European Championship1995 UEFA Women's Championship
The 1995 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 1995 was a football tournament that happened between 1993 and 1995 . The final game was held in Germany. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA,...
. After winning all qualification matches, scoring 55 goals, the German team defeated England
England women's national football team
The England women's national football team represents England in international women's football. The side has been quite successful of late, qualifying for three World Cups, 1995, 2007 and 2011...
6–2 over two legs in the semi-final. Germany met Sweden in the final, which was played at the Fritz Walter Stadion
Fritz Walter Stadion
The Fritz-Walter-Stadion is the home to the Bundesliga club 1. FC Kaiserslautern and is located in the city of Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also one of the stadiums used in the 2006 World Cup...
in Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
, Germany, on 26 March 1995. The Swedish team managed to score early, but Germany came back to win 3–2 with goals from Maren Meinert, Birgit Prinz
Birgit Prinz
Birgit Prinz is a former German female professional association football player. She last played for 1. FFC Frankfurt and the German national team. Prinz is one of the game's most prolific strikers and the FIFA Women's World Cup all-time leading scorer with 14 goals . She has been named FIFA...
and Bettina Wiegmann
Bettina Wiegmann
Bettina Wiegmann is a retired German football midfielder. She scored 51 goals in 154 caps for the German national team between 1989 and 2003. In 1997 she was selected German Female Footballer of the Year....
.
At the 1995 Women's World Cup in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the German team lost against the Scandinavian hosts, but still succeeded in winning their group by beating Japan
Japan women's national football team
The Japan women's national football team, or Nadeshiko Japan , is a selection of the best female players in Japan and is run by the Japan Football Association . Japan defeated the U.S...
and Brazil
Brazil women's national football team
The Brazil women's national football team represents Brazil in international women's association football. Brazil played their first game on July 22, 1986 against the United States....
. Germany won the quarter-final against England 3–0, and defeated China
China women's national football team
The China women's national football team represents the People's Republic of China in international women's football.- Records :China had held the record of going for 442 minutes without conceding a World Cup goal, until it was broken by Germany on September 26, 2007, when Germany beat Norway 3-0...
1–0 with a late goal by Bettina Wiegmann in the semi-final. On 18 June 1995 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, the German team appeared in their first Women's World Cup final. Facing Norway, they lost the match 0–2, but as runners-up achieved their best World Cup result until then.
Women’s football was first played as an Olympic sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament matches
-Group E:-USA vs Denmark:-Sweden vs PR China:-USA vs Sweden:-Denmark vs PR China:-USA vs PR China:-Denmark vs Sweden:-Group F:-Norway vs Brazil:-Germany vs Japan:-Norway vs Germany:-Brazil vs Japan:-Norway vs Japan:...
. Bettina Wiegmann scored the first Olympic goal in the opening match against Japan, which Germany won 3–2. After losing their second group game against Norway 2–3, and drawing with Brazil 1–1, Germany was eliminated, finishing third in the group with four points from three matches. Head coach Gero Bisanz resigned after the tournament and his assistant since 1983, Tina Theune, took over as the new national coach. Silvia Neid ended her playing career and was appointed the new assistant coach.
The 1997 European Championship
1997 UEFA Women's Championship
The 1997 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 1997 was a football tournament held in 1997 in Norway and Sweden. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA, the European governing body, who have...
was the first test for new coach Theune. Following a defeat against Norway, Germany finished second in the qualifying group and only secured qualification by beating Iceland
Iceland women's national football team
The Iceland women's national football team represents Iceland in international women's football. It is currently ranked as the 15th best national team in the world by FIFA...
in a relegation play-off. After drawing with Italy and Norway, a victory over Denmark in the last group game saw the German team go through to the knockout stage. They beat Sweden 1–0 in the semi-final, and on 12 July 1997, claimed their fourth European championship with a 2–0 win over Italy, with goals from Sandra Minnert
Sandra Minnert
Sandra Minnert is a former German football defender. She played for SC 07 Bad Neuenahr and the German national team.-Coaching career:...
and Birgit Prinz.
At the 1999 Women's World Cup in the United States, the German team also failed to qualify directly, but managed to beat the Ukraine
Ukraine women's national football team
The Ukraine women's national football team represents Ukraine in international women's football. The team is administered by the Football Federation of Ukraine....
in a qualifying play-off. Germany started their World Cup campaign by drawing with Italy and winning 6–0 over Mexico
Mexico women's national football team
The Mexico women's national football team represents Mexico in international women's football competition and is controlled by the Mexican Football Federation. In the 1970s, the team gained popularity, with Mexico finishing 3rd in a unofficial Women's World Cup held in Italy...
. In the last group game, Germany drew 3–3 against Brazil; by conceding a last minute equalizer, Germany failed to win the group and subsequently had to face the hosts in the quarter-final. With 54,642 people in attendance, among them U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, the crowd at the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium
FedExField
FedExField is a football stadium located in an unincorporated area near the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, near the site of the old Capital Centre . FedExField is the home of the Washington Redskins football team...
was the biggest the German team had ever played in front of. Despite leading twice, they lost 2–3 to the eventual World Cup winners.
Germany competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
, winning all three group games against Australia, Brazil and Sweden. The German team dominated the semi-final against Norway, but lost the game 0–1 after an own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
by Tina Wunderlich
Tina Wunderlich
Tina Wunderlich is a German former football defender. She played for 1. FFC Frankfurt, and was capped for the Germany women's national football team.-Club career:...
in the 80th minute. They beat Brazil 2–0 in the third place match with goals from Birgit Prinz and Renate Lingor
Renate Lingor
Renate Lingor is a retired female German international football player.-Club career:Lingor began her career in 1981 with SV Blankenloch at the age of six, in 1983 she joined the youth team of Karlsruher SC. Aged 14 she signed with SC Klinge Seckach where she started her professional career in...
, and won the bronze medal. It was the first Olympic medal for the German Football Associations since 1988 when the men's team also won bronze.
In 2001, Germany hosted the European Championship
2001 UEFA Women's Championship
2001 UEFA Women's Championship took place in Germany between June 23 and July 7 . It was won by Germany in the final against Sweden thanks to a golden goal....
. Following victories over Sweden, Russia
Russia women's national football team
The Russia women's national football team represents Russia in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Football Union of Russia and affiliated with UEFA...
and England in the group stage, the German team beat Norway 1–0 in the semi-final courtesy of a diving header by Sandra Smisek
Sandra Smisek
Sandra Smisek is a German football striker. She currently plays for 1. FFC Frankfurt and the German national team.Smisek has played for Germany at four FIFA Women's World Cup finals.-References:...
. On 7 July 2001 in Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, they met Sweden in the final, which was played in heavy rain. The game was scoreless after 90 minutes and went to extra time, where Claudia Müller
Claudia Müller
Claudia Müller is a retired German football striker. She scored 23 goals in 46 caps for the German national team between 1996 and 2001....
scored a golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
and secured the fifth European title for Germany.
2003–present: Two consecutive World Cup titles
Argentina women's national football team
The Argentina women's national football team represents Argentina in international women's football. Since there is no professional league in Argentina, almost all its members are amateur players....
. After winning all three group games, the German team defeated Russia 7–1 in the quarter-final, which set up another clash with the United States. Germany's Kerstin Garefrekes
Kerstin Garefrekes
Kerstin Garefrekes is a German footballer. She plays as a midfielder or striker for 1. FFC Frankfurt and the German national team.-Club:...
scored after 15 minutes and goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg made several key saves. In the dying minutes of the semi-final, Maren Meinert and Birgit Prinz sealed the 3–0 win. On 12 October 2003, Germany met Sweden in the World Cup final in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The Scandinavians went ahead before half time, but Maren Meinert equalized shortly after the break. The game went to extra time, where Nia Künzer
Nia Künzer
Nia Künzer is a retired German women's football player.-Early life:She was born in Mochudi, Botswana as Nia Tsholofelo Künzer , where her parents were on a two year's tour with a development aid organization...
headed the winning golden goal in the 98th minute to claim Germany's first Women's World Cup title. Birgit Prinz was honoured as the tournament's best player and top goalscorer.
With wins over China and Mexico, the German team finished first in their group at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament
-Seeding:-Group E:---------Group F:---------Group G:---------------------Knockout stage:-Quarter finals:-------------Semi finals:-----Bronze medal match:-Final:-Medalists:...
. They beat Nigeria 2–1 in the quarter-final, but suffered a 1–2 semi-final loss to the United States after extra time. In the third place match, Germany defeated Sweden 1–0 with a goal by Renate Lingor, winning the teams's second Olympic bronze medal.
The 2005 European Championship
2005 UEFA Women's Championship
The 2005 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 2005 , was a football tournament for women held from 5 June to 19 June 2005 in Lancashire, England. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA, the...
was held in England. With wins over Norway, Italy and France
France women's national football team
The French women's national football team represents France in international women's football. The team is directed by the French Football Federation and competes as a member of UEFA in various international football tournaments such as the FIFA Women's World Cup, UEFA Women's Euro, the Summer...
in Round 1, the German team advanced to the semi-final, where they defeated Finland
Finland women's national football team
The Finland women's national football team represents Finland in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Finland , reached the semi-finals of the 2005 European Championship, surprising the female football world having drawn with Sweden and beaten Denmark...
4–1. On 19 June 2005, they met Norway for the third time in the European championship final. Germany won 3–1 with goals from Inka Grings
Inka Grings
Inka Grings is a German footballer. She played sixteen years as a striker for FCR 2001 Duisburg, today she plays for FC Zürich Frauen. She also plays for the German national team. Grings is the all-time leading goalscorer in Germany's top division, the Bundesliga, having claimed the league's...
, Renate Lingor and Birgit Prinz and added a sixth European title. Head coach Tina Theune stepped down after the tournament and her assistant Silvia Neid took over as national coach. In 2006, Germany won the annual Algarve Cup
Algarve Cup
The Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football . Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious women's football events, alongside the Women's World Cup and Women's Olympic Football...
for the first time.
Kerstin Stegemann
Kerstin Stegemann is a former female football player from Germany.Born in Rheine-Mesum, she made her football debut at age 15 in 1993, playing for FFC Heike Rheine in the Frauen Bundesliga. Within two years, she made her first appearance for the German national team, playing in an April 13, 1995...
, Martina Müller
Martina Müller (footballer)
Martina Müller is a German footballer. She plays as a striker for VfL Wolfsburg and the German national team.-Club:Müller had played at several smaller clubs at youth level, before joining the reigning German champions FSV Frankfurt in 1998...
and a Norwegian own goal. On 30 September 2007, Germany faced Brazil in the World Cup final in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. Birgit Prinz put Germany in front after half time and goalkeeper Nadine Angerer saved a penalty by Brazilian Marta. Simone Laudehr
Simone Laudehr
Simone Laudehr is a German footballer. She plays as a central midfielder or winger for FCR 2001 Duisburg and the German national team.- Club :...
scored a second goal after 86 minutes, which sealed the German 2–0 victory. Germany was the first team (men's and women's game) to win the World Cup without conceding a goal and the first to successfully defend the Women's World Cup title. With 14 goals, Prinz became the tournament's overall top goalscorer.
In a replay of the 2007 World Cup final, the German team drew 0–0 with Brazil in the opening game at the 2008 Summer Olympics. They then beat both Nigeria and North Korea to advance to the quarter-final, where they defeated Sweden 2–0 after extra time. In the semi-final, Germany again met Brazil. Birgit Prinz scored in the 10th minute, but the German team lost 1–4 after conceding three goals to Brazilian counter-attacks in the second half. They beat Japan 2–0 for the bronze medal, with Fatmire Bajramaj
Fatmire Bajramaj
Fatmire "Lira" Bajramaj is a German footballer with Albanian etnicity. She plays as an attacking midfielder for 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam and the German national team. She placed 3rd in 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or competition, an annual award given to the world's best player.-Club:Bajramaj began her...
scoring both goals. The third consecutive semi-final loss at the Olympics was seen as a disappointment by both the players and the German press. The team's overall performance and head coach Silvia Neid were harshly criticised in the media.
Germany qualified for the 2009 European Championship
2009 UEFA Women's Championship
The 2009 UEFA Women's Championship, or just Women's Euro 2009, was played in Finland between August 23 and September 10, 2009. The host was appointed on July 11, 2006, in a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Berlin and the Finnish proposal won over the Dutch proposal.The UEFA Women's Championship...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
winning all eight games and scoring 34 goals. They beat Norway, France and Iceland in the group stage to advance to the quarter-final, where they won 2–1 against Italy. After trailing Norway at half-time in the semi-final, the German team fought back to a 3–1 victory. On 10 September 2009, they defeated England 6–2 for their seventh European trophy. Birgit Prinz and Inka Grings scored twice, with Melanie Behringer
Melanie Behringer
Melanie Behringer is a German footballer. She plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for 1. FFC Frankfurt and the German national team.-Club:...
and Kim Kulig
Kim Kulig
Kim Kulig is a German footballer. She plays as a central midfielder or forward for 1. FFC Frankfurt and the German national team.-Club:...
also scoring. Grings retained her award as the tournament's top scorer from 2005, while Germany extended their winning streak at the European Championship finals to a 19-match run dating back to 1997.
In 2011, Germany was host of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. The German team won the three games on the group stage, over Canada, France and Nigeria. On the quarterfinals, the team suffered an upset by Japan, who won on overtime with a goal by Karina Maruyama
Karina Maruyama
is a Japanese footballer from Tokyo. In the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany, Marayama scored a goal taking Japan to its first ever semifinals of the tournament on 9 July, 2011, defeating the host country....
. The defeat broke the Germans' streak of sixteen undefeated games at the World Cup.
Coaches
Former German international Silvia Neid is the current head coach of the German women's national football team. As a player, she won 111 capsCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
and scored 48 goals. The coach's official title is DFB-Trainer and he or she is employed by the German Football Association.
- Gero Bisanz was the first coach of the women's national team. He selected his first squad in September 1982. At the same time, he also worked as the chief instructor for DFB coaching training from 1971 to 2000. Bisanz led the German team to three European ChampionshipsUEFA Women's ChampionshipThe UEFA European Women's Championship, also called the UEFA Women's Euro and unofficially the "European Cup", held every fourth year, is the main competition in women's association football between national teams of the UEFA Confederation...
in 1989, 1991 and 1995. Under Bisanz, Germany also was runner-up at the 1995 Women's World Cup. He resigned after the German team was eliminated in Round 1 at the 1996 Summer OlympicsFootball at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament matches-Group E:-USA vs Denmark:-Sweden vs PR China:-USA vs Sweden:-Denmark vs PR China:-USA vs PR China:-Denmark vs Sweden:-Group F:-Norway vs Brazil:-Germany vs Japan:-Norway vs Germany:-Brazil vs Japan:-Norway vs Japan:...
. With his assistant since 1983, Tina Theune, he built a scouting system and was responsible for a new DFB youth programme.
- Tina Theune took over as head coach after the 1996 Summer Olympics. She was the first woman to acquire the highest German football coaching license. Theune was responsible for three European Championship titles in 1997, 2001 and 2005. During her time as head coach, Germany won the bronze medal at the 2000Football at the 2000 Summer OlympicsThe football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
and 2004 Summer OlympicsFootball at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament-Seeding:-Group E:---------Group F:---------Group G:---------------------Knockout stage:-Quarter finals:-------------Semi finals:-----Bronze medal match:-Final:-Medalists:...
. Her biggest success was the 2003 Women's World Cup title. Theune is the most successful national coach to date. She benefited from an effective youth programme and integrated several Under-19 players into the nation team. Theune stepped down after winning the European Championship in 2005.
- Silvia Neid was the team's assistant coach from 1996 to 2005 and the head coach of the German Under-19 team, who won the 2004 U-19 Women's World Championship2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship-Group B:---------------------Group C:--------------------- Knockout Map :-Quarterfinals:-------------Semifinals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-All star team:-Goalscorers:...
. In July 2005, she became the team's head coach and the 2006 Algarve CupAlgarve CupThe Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football . Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious women's football events, alongside the Women's World Cup and Women's Olympic Football...
marked her first tournament win. By winning the 2007 Women’s World Cup, Neid became the first German national coach (men's and women’s team) to win the World Cup at the first attempt. At her first Summer Olympics as a coach in 2008, Germany won the bronze medal for a third time. Neid was also responsible for Germany's seventh European Championship in 2009. She is signed until 2013 and her assistant is Ulrike Ballweg.
Statistical summary
| Name | Germany career | P | W | D | L | % | Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1982–1996 | 127 | 83 | 17 | 27 | 65.35 | 1984 European Championship – failed to qualify 1987 European Championship – failed to qualify 1989 European Championship – champion 1991 European Championship 1991 UEFA Women's Championship The 1991 UEFA Women's Championship took place in Denmark. It was won by Germany in a final against Norway in a repeat of the previous edition's final... – champion 1991 Women's World Cup – fourth place 1993 European Championship 1993 UEFA Women's Championship The 1993 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 1993 was a football tournament that happened between 1991 and 1993 . The final games was held in Italy. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA, the... – fourth place 1995 European Championship 1995 UEFA Women's Championship The 1995 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 1995 was a football tournament that happened between 1993 and 1995 . The final game was held in Germany. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA,... – champion 1995 Women's World Cup – runner-up 1996 Summer Olympics Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament matches -Group E:-USA vs Denmark:-Sweden vs PR China:-USA vs Sweden:-Denmark vs PR China:-USA vs PR China:-Denmark vs Sweden:-Group F:-Norway vs Brazil:-Germany vs Japan:-Norway vs Germany:-Brazil vs Japan:-Norway vs Japan:... – group stage |
| |
1996–2005 | 135 | 93 | 18 | 24 | 68.89 | 1997 European Championship 1997 UEFA Women's Championship The 1997 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 1997 was a football tournament held in 1997 in Norway and Sweden. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA, the European governing body, who have... – champion 1999 Women's World Cup – quarter-final 2000 Summer Olympics Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra... – bronze medal 2001 European Championship 2001 UEFA Women's Championship 2001 UEFA Women's Championship took place in Germany between June 23 and July 7 . It was won by Germany in the final against Sweden thanks to a golden goal.... – champion 2003 Women's World Cup – champion 2004 Summer Olympics Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament -Seeding:-Group E:---------Group F:---------Group G:---------------------Knockout stage:-Quarter finals:-------------Semi finals:-----Bronze medal match:-Final:-Medalists:... – bronze medal 2005 European Championship 2005 UEFA Women's Championship The 2005 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 2005 , was a football tournament for women held from 5 June to 19 June 2005 in Lancashire, England. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA, the... – champion |
| |
2005–present | 86 | 63 | 10 | 13 | 73.26 | 2007 Women's World Cup – champion 2008 Summer Olympics – bronze medal 2009 European Championship 2009 UEFA Women's Championship The 2009 UEFA Women's Championship, or just Women's Euro 2009, was played in Finland between August 23 and September 10, 2009. The host was appointed on July 11, 2006, in a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Berlin and the Finnish proposal won over the Dutch proposal.The UEFA Women's Championship... – champion 2011 Women's World Cup – quarter-final |
| Totals | 348 | 239 | 45 | 64 | 68.68 | ||
- *Key: P–games played, W–games won, D–games drawn; L–games lost, %–win percentage. Statistics as of 30 June 2011.
Venues
| City | Games | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Osnabrück Osnabrück Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest... |
6 | 1989–2011 |
| Ulm Ulm Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and... |
5 | 2001–2005 |
| Bochum Bochum Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:... |
3 | 1990–2009 |
| Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people... |
3 | 1988–1995 |
| Koblenz Koblenz Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the... |
3 | 1982–2007 |
| Lüdenscheid Lüdenscheid Lüdenscheid is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Sauerland region. Lüdenscheid is seat of the administration of the Märkischer Kreis district... |
3 | 1984–2002 |
| Rheine Rheine Rheine is a city in the district of Steinfurt in Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city in the district and the location of Rheine Air Base.-Geography:Rheine is located on the river Ems, approx. north of Münster, approx... |
3 | 1990–1998 |
| Siegen Siegen Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region... |
3 | 1983–2005 |
| Weil am Rhein Weil am Rhein Weil am Rhein is a German town and commune which is a suburb of the city of Basel in Switzerland. It is situated on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Swiss, French and German borders meet. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany.-Geography:Weil am Rhein is... |
3 | 1991–1999 |
The German national football team has no national stadium
National stadium
Many countries have a national football stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadium. Usually, a national stadium will be in or very...
. Like the men, the women's team play their home matches in different stadiums throughout the country. As of June 2011, they have played in 87 different German cities. Most home games have been held in Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
with six matches, followed by Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
(five games), and Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
, Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
, Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
, Lüdenscheid
Lüdenscheid
Lüdenscheid is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Sauerland region. Lüdenscheid is seat of the administration of the Märkischer Kreis district...
, Rheine
Rheine
Rheine is a city in the district of Steinfurt in Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city in the district and the location of Rheine Air Base.-Geography:Rheine is located on the river Ems, approx. north of Münster, approx...
, Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
and Weil am Rhein
Weil am Rhein
Weil am Rhein is a German town and commune which is a suburb of the city of Basel in Switzerland. It is situated on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Swiss, French and German borders meet. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany.-Geography:Weil am Rhein is...
(three games each). The first home match in former East Germany was played in Aue
Aue
Aue is a small town in Germany at the outlet of the river Schwarzwasser into the river Mulde in the Ore Mountains, and has roughly 18,000 inhabitants. Aue was the administrative seat of the former district of Aue-Schwarzenberg in Saxony, and is part of the Erzgebirgskreis since August 2008...
in May 1991.
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and once Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
have never hosted an international match of the women's team.
Outside Germany, they have played the most games in Faro
Faro, Portugal
Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
(10 matches), and Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(six matches), the host cities of the annual Algarve Cup
Algarve Cup
The Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football . Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious women's football events, alongside the Women's World Cup and Women's Olympic Football...
and the Four Nations Tournament respectively. They have also played five games in Albufeira
Albufeira
Albufeira is a Portuguese municipality in the Faro District, Algarve region. Its name came from the Arabic: البحيرة . The city has a population of 13,646. The municipality has a population of 35,281 inhabitants and a total area of 140.6 km²...
, Portugal (also an Algarve Cup venue), and four times in Minneapolis in the United States.
The record attendance for Germany was 73,680 in the 2011 Women's World Cup opening game against Canada
Canada women's national soccer team
The Canada women's national soccer team is overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association. The team reached its all-time high of 6th in the March 2011 rankings. The team reached international prominence finishing in 4th place at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003, losing to their archrival American team...
at the Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium
The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece stadium of the Summer Olympic Games. Traditionally, the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field competitions are held in the Olympic Stadium. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words Olympic...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. That game also set a new European record in women's football. Away from home, the team's crowd record was 54,642 in the 1999 Women's World Cup quarter-final against the United States
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
at the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium
FedExField
FedExField is a football stadium located in an unincorporated area near the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, near the site of the old Capital Centre . FedExField is the home of the Washington Redskins football team...
in Landover
Landover, Maryland
Landover is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, within the census-designated place of Greater Landover. The Prince Georges County Sports and Learning Complex is in Landover...
.
Colours
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
– black and white are the colours of Prussia
Flag of Prussia
The state of Prussia had its origins in the separate lands of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia. The Margraviate of Brandenburg developed from the medieval Northern March of the Holy Roman Empire, passing to the House of Hohenzollern in 1415...
. The current change kit is red and black, with black shorts and red socks. In the past, Germany also used green shirts with white shorts and green socks as the away kit.
The women's national team originally played with the emblem of the German men's team, a variation of the DFB logo with the Federal Eagle of Germany (Bundesadler) and three stars at the top for the men's 1954
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
, 1974
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
and 1990
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
titles. Since their first Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
win in 2003, the team displays its own World Cup titles; initially with one star, and since 2007, with two stars at the top of the emblem. As reigning world champions, Germany also display the newly created "FIFA Women's World Champions Badge" on their shirts since 2009.
In accordance with the rules of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
, Germany does not wear its official uniform with the logo of the German Football Association while competing at the Summer Olympics. Instead, the DFB badge is replaced by the coat of arms of Germany
Coat of arms of Germany
The coat of arms of Germany displays a black eagle on a yellow shield ....
. Like all DFB squads, the women's national team is supplied by Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, which had provided a specifically designed female football jersey since 1999. The team's main sponsor is the German insurance company Allianz
Allianz
SE is a global financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core business and focus is insurance. As of 2010, it was the world's 12th-largest financial services group and 23rd-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine.Its Allianz Global Investors...
.
Acceptance and popularity
For most of the 20th century, women's football was a niche sport in Germany and was frowned upon. When the DFB appointed Gero Bisanz to coach the newly founded women's national team, he was initially very reluctant about his assignment and feared it would harm his reputation. Winning the 1989 European Championship was the team's first international success, but it had little lasting effect on their popularity. As a gift for the first European trophy, every player received a tea setTea set
A tea set, in the Western tradition, is a set of dishes sold in a group for use at afternoon tea or a formal tea party.Tea sets vary greatly in quality and price, from inexpensive to high-end.-Items in a tea set:...
, which is often cited as an example of male chauvinism and general lack of interest in the women's national team at that time. This attitude within the German Football Association has changed considerably in the last two decades and current DFB president Theo Zwanziger
Theo Zwanziger
Dr. Theo Zwanziger is a German lawyer and sports official. He is the current president of the German Football Association . For his contributions to German football, he received the Bundesverdienstkreuz in 2005.- Career :...
is an outspoken supporter of women's football.
Each member of the 2003 Women's World Cup squad received a prearranged bonus of 15,000 euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s for winning the tournament; four years later the players received 50,000 euros for their successful title defense. In 2009, one million of the 6.7 million DFB members were female.
The 2003 World Cup title marked the breakthrough for the women’s national football team in Germany. The final was watched by 10.48 million viewers on German television (a 33.2 percent market share) and the German team was welcomed home by almost 10,000 fans at Frankfurt's city hall
Romer
A Reference Card or "Romer" is a device for increasing the accuracy when reading a grid reference from a map. Made from transparent plastic, paper or other materials, they are also found on most baseplate compasses. Essentially, it is a specially marked-out ruler which matches the scale of the map...
. Later that year, they were honoured as the 2003 German Sports Team of the Year
German Sportspersonality of the year
The German Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 1947, for both men and women. The recordholder is tennis player Steffi Graf . Swimmer Michael Groß, tennis player Boris Becker, and high jumper Ulrike Meyfarth each have four awards...
. Nia Künzer
Nia Künzer
Nia Künzer is a retired German women's football player.-Early life:She was born in Mochudi, Botswana as Nia Tsholofelo Künzer , where her parents were on a two year's tour with a development aid organization...
's World Cup winning golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
was voted Germany's 2003 Goal of the Year
Goal of the Year (Germany)
The Goal of the Year in Germany is, like the Goal of the Month , the Goal of the Decade and Goal of the Century, an individual soccer award selected by spectators of the Sportschau , among spectacular or important soccer goals scored in or for Germany.Klaus Fischer won it three times; his 1977 ...
, the first time the award was won by a female player. Since 2005, almost all of the women’s national football team's matches have been shown live on German television.
State decoration
State decorations are orders, medals and other decorations granted by a state. International decorations are similar, but are not granted by a specific nation but rather an international organization....
for athletes in Germany. National coach Silvia Neid
Silvia Neid
Silvia Neid is a former professional soccer player, and, since July 2005, has served as the head coach of the Germany women's national football team after having been assistant to Tina Theune-Meyer for some time...
was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
by German president Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the CDU and the CSU, and the liberal FDP, Köhler was elected to his first five-year term by the Federal Assembly on...
.
In 2009, the team's six home matches had an average attendance of 22,753. In a survey of German football fans, 65 percent of the male and 62 percent of the female respondents said they were interested in women's football. However, this popularity is mostly limited to international matches. Although the number of spectators in the women's Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga (women)
The Women's Football Bundesliga is the main league competition for women's football in Germany. In 1990 the German Football Association created the German Women's Bundesliga, based on the model of the men's Bundesliga. It was first played with north and south divisions, but in 1997 the groups...
has more than doubled since 2003, the average attendance in the 2007–08 season
Fußball-Bundesliga (women) 2007-08
The Fußball-Bundesliga 2007–08 was the 18th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga , Germany's premier football league. It began on 19 August 2007 and ended on 15 June 2008.-Final standings:...
(887) was still less than three percent of that of the men's Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
(38,612).
Today, women's football is socially accepted in Germany, although one of the main points of criticism remains the alleged lack of quality compared to the men’s game. The German women’s national team has played several exhibition matches against male teams, most notably losing 0–3 to the VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
Under-17 squad in preparation for the 2003 World Cup. Most German players dismiss comparisons between the quality of men's and women's football; Renate Lingor
Renate Lingor
Renate Lingor is a retired female German international football player.-Club career:Lingor began her career in 1981 with SV Blankenloch at the age of six, in 1983 she joined the youth team of Karlsruher SC. Aged 14 she signed with SC Klinge Seckach where she started her professional career in...
has said they are "two entirely different sports". Players such as Simone Laudehr
Simone Laudehr
Simone Laudehr is a German footballer. She plays as a central midfielder or winger for FCR 2001 Duisburg and the German national team.- Club :...
, Ariane Hingst
Ariane Hingst
Ariane Hingst is a German footballer. Primarily utilized as a defender or a defensive holding, midfielder Hingst announced this summer that she would be retiring from international football with the German national team. In addition it was announced by 1...
and Melanie Behringer
Melanie Behringer
Melanie Behringer is a German footballer. She plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for 1. FFC Frankfurt and the German national team.-Club:...
have stated that men’s football is played at a much faster pace, but also has more interruptions and brutal tackling than the women's game. Linda Bresonik
Linda Bresonik
Linda Bresonik is a German footballer. She plays as a midfielder or wing back for FCR 2001 Duisburg and the German national team.- Club:...
has said she generally prefers to watch men's football.
Current squad
The nominated squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2013UEFA Women's Euro 2013
The 2013 UEFA Women's Championship, or just Women's Euro 2013, will be held in Sweden from 10 July to 28 July, 2013.- Bids :Candidates of European national associations of staging UEFA Women's Euro 2013 were...
qualifying matches against and .
- Statistics as of 19 November 2011.
Records
Birgit Prinz
Birgit Prinz is a former German female professional association football player. She last played for 1. FFC Frankfurt and the German national team. Prinz is one of the game's most prolific strikers and the FIFA Women's World Cup all-time leading scorer with 14 goals . She has been named FIFA...
holds the record for Germany appearances, having played 214 times since 1994. She is one of 16 German players to have reached 100 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
. Kerstin Stegemann
Kerstin Stegemann
Kerstin Stegemann is a former female football player from Germany.Born in Rheine-Mesum, she made her football debut at age 15 in 1993, playing for FFC Heike Rheine in the Frauen Bundesliga. Within two years, she made her first appearance for the German national team, playing in an April 13, 1995...
is second, having played 191 times; she has the highest number of appearances among retired players. Bettina Wiegmann
Bettina Wiegmann
Bettina Wiegmann is a retired German football midfielder. She scored 51 goals in 154 caps for the German national team between 1989 and 2003. In 1997 she was selected German Female Footballer of the Year....
, Germany's team captain during the 2003 World Cup win, comes fourth with 154 games. Prinz exceeded Wiegmann’s record as the most capped player in November 2006. Wiegmann is the only honorary captain of the German women’s national football team. At age 31, Kerstin Garefrekes
Kerstin Garefrekes
Kerstin Garefrekes is a German footballer. She plays as a midfielder or striker for 1. FFC Frankfurt and the German national team.-Club:...
is the youngest player with over 100 caps.
The title of Germany’s highest goalscorer is also held by Prinz. She scored her first goal in July 1994 against Canada and since then has scored 128 goals (averaging 0.60 goals per game). Heidi Mohr
Heidi Mohr
Heidi Mohr is a former German footballer. As a footballer she was renowned for her speed and her ability to shoot with both feet. In 1999 she was voted Europe's Footballer of the Century.-Club career:...
, as well as being the second-highest scorer, is also the most prolific with 83 goals coming from 104 games (averaging 0.80 goals per game). Two players share the record for goals scored in one match: Conny Pohlers
Conny Pohlers
Conny Pohlers is a successful German football player. Since 1998 she has played in the Women's Bundesliga and since 2001 in the Germany women's national football team.-Domestic Football:...
scored five goals in October 2001 against Portugal
Portugal women's national football team
-----------------------------2013 UEFA European Championship Qualifying:-----------------------------See also:* Portugal national football team* -References:...
, and Inka Grings
Inka Grings
Inka Grings is a German footballer. She played sixteen years as a striker for FCR 2001 Duisburg, today she plays for FC Zürich Frauen. She also plays for the German national team. Grings is the all-time leading goalscorer in Germany's top division, the Bundesliga, having claimed the league's...
scored five times in February 2004, again facing Portugal. Silvia Neid
Silvia Neid
Silvia Neid is a former professional soccer player, and, since July 2005, has served as the head coach of the Germany women's national football team after having been assistant to Tina Theune-Meyer for some time...
, the current German national coach, is the fifth highest goalscorer with 48 goals in 111 games.
The largest margin of victory achieved by Germany is 13–0 against Portugal during a European Championship
UEFA Women's Championship
The UEFA European Women's Championship, also called the UEFA Women's Euro and unofficially the "European Cup", held every fourth year, is the main competition in women's association football between national teams of the UEFA Confederation...
qualifying game in November 2003; it was the first match following the 2003 World Cup win. The record defeat, a 0–6 deficit against the United States
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
, occurred during a friendly match in March 1996.
Silke Rottenberg
Silke Rottenberg
Silke Rottenberg is a former German football goalkeeper.-Career:She last played for 1. FFC Frankfurt. She announced her retirement from the German national team on May 27, 2008. After the game Germany versus Wales on May 29, 2008, she formally retired from international football...
has the most appearances for a goalkeeper with 126 caps and 67 games without conceding a goal. Current goalkeeper Nadine Angerer is second, with 100 games (60 without conceding a goal). Bettina Wiegmann holds the record of 14 goals from penalty kicks; Renate Lingor
Renate Lingor
Renate Lingor is a retired female German international football player.-Club career:Lingor began her career in 1981 with SV Blankenloch at the age of six, in 1983 she joined the youth team of Karlsruher SC. Aged 14 she signed with SC Klinge Seckach where she started her professional career in...
comes in second with 8 goals. Tina Wunderlich
Tina Wunderlich
Tina Wunderlich is a German former football defender. She played for 1. FFC Frankfurt, and was capped for the Germany women's national football team.-Club career:...
scored the team's only own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
in the semi-final of the 2000 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
against Norway
Norway women's national football team
The Norway women's national football team represents Norway in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, are former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams...
; it was the game's only goal.
The German team also holds several international records. In 2007, they were the first to win two consecutive Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
titles and they achieved the biggest win in tournament history by beating Argentina
Argentina women's national football team
The Argentina women's national football team represents Argentina in international women's football. Since there is no professional league in Argentina, almost all its members are amateur players....
11–0. Germany is also the only team to win either the men's
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
or women's World Cup without conceding a goal and the only country to win both World Cups. With 14 goals, Prinz became the overall top goalscorer at the Women's World Cup in 2007, and she and Brazilian Marta are the only women to have received the FIFA World Player of the Year
FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
award at least three times.
| # | Name | Germany career | Caps | Goals | Goals per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994–2011 | 214 | 128 | 0.60 | |
| 2 | 1995–2009 | 191 | 8 | 0.04 | |
| 3 | 1996– | 173 | 10 | 0.06 | |
| 4 | 1989–2003 | 154 | 51 | 0.33 | |
| 5 | 1995–2008 | 149 | 35 | 0.23 | |
| 6 | 1992–2007 | 147 | 16 | 0.11 | |
| 7 | 1986–2001 | 144 | 16 | 0.11 | |
| 8 | 1995–2008 | 133 | 34 | 0.26 | |
| 9 | 2001– | 128 | 42 | 0.33 | |
| 10 | 1993–2008 | 126 | 0 | 0 | |
- *Active players in bold, statistics as of 30 June 2011.
Top goa>scorers
| # | Player | Germany career | Goals | Caps | Penalties | Goals per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994–2011 | 128 | 214 | 3 | 0.60 | |
| 2 | 1986–1996 | 83 | 104 | 0 | 0.80 | |
| 3 | 1996– | 62 | 92 | 0 | 0.67 | |
| 4 | 1989–2003 | 51 | 154 | 14 | 0.33 | |
| 5 | 1982–1996 | 48 | 111 | 0 | 0.43 | |
| 6 | 2001– | 42 | 128 | 0 | 0.33 | |
| 7 | 1995–2008 | 35 | 149 | 8 | 0.24 | |
| 8 | 1995–2008 | 34 | 133 | 0 | 0.26 | |
| 9 | 1991–2003 | 33 | 92 | 1 | 0.36 | |
| 10 | 1992–1996 | 30 | 46 | 0 | 0.65 | |
World Cup record
Germany is one of the most successful nations at the FIFA Women's World CupFIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
, having won the tournament twice and finishing runner-up once. The German team won the World Cup in 2003 and 2007. At the first World Cup in 1991, they finished in fourth place. In 1995, Germany reached the World Cup final, but were defeated by Norway
Norway women's national football team
The Norway women's national football team represents Norway in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, are former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams...
. The team's worst results were quarter-final losses to the United States in 1999, and Japan
Japan women's national football team
The Japan women's national football team, or Nadeshiko Japan , is a selection of the best female players in Japan and is run by the Japan Football Association . Japan defeated the U.S...
in 2011. Overall, the German team has appeared in three Women's World Cup finals, and is a four-time semi-finalist. They have participated in every Women's World Cup and have a 20–3–5 win–draw–loss record.
| Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1991 |
Fourth Place | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 10 |
 1995 |
Runners-Up | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 6 |
 1999 |
Quarterfinal | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 7 |
| 2003 |
Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 4 |
| 2007 |
Champions | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| 2011 |
Quarterfinal | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| Total | 6/6 | 32 | 23 | 3 | 6 | 91 | 31 |
- *Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Olympic Games record
The Olympic gold medal is the only major international title Germany has not won. Women's football debuted at the 1996 Summer OlympicsFootball at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament matches
-Group E:-USA vs Denmark:-Sweden vs PR China:-USA vs Sweden:-Denmark vs PR China:-USA vs PR China:-Denmark vs Sweden:-Group F:-Norway vs Brazil:-Germany vs Japan:-Norway vs Germany:-Brazil vs Japan:-Norway vs Japan:...
and Bettina Wiegmann
Bettina Wiegmann
Bettina Wiegmann is a retired German football midfielder. She scored 51 goals in 154 caps for the German national team between 1989 and 2003. In 1997 she was selected German Female Footballer of the Year....
scored the first Olympic goal in the opening game of the tournament. However, Germany failed to progress to the knockout stage and was eliminated after Round 1. Four years later the German team won the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
. They again finished third at both the 2004
Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament
-Seeding:-Group E:---------Group F:---------Group G:---------------------Knockout stage:-Quarter finals:-------------Semi finals:-----Bronze medal match:-Final:-Medalists:...
and the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The German team has qualified for all Women's Olympic Football Tournament
Football at the Summer Olympics
Association football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
s until 2008. However, they failed to qualify for the 2012 tournament
Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics is scheduled to be held in London and several other cities in the United Kingdom, from 25 July to 11 August. The finals will be played at Wembley Stadium. Associations affiliated with FIFA are invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23...
as UEFA used the 2011 World Cup for qualification, and Germany ended below France
France women's national football team
The French women's national football team represents France in international women's football. The team is directed by the French Football Federation and competes as a member of UEFA in various international football tournaments such as the FIFA Women's World Cup, UEFA Women's Euro, the Summer...
and Sweden
Sweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
.
| Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament matches -Group E:-USA vs Denmark:-Sweden vs PR China:-USA vs Sweden:-Denmark vs PR China:-USA vs PR China:-Denmark vs Sweden:-Group F:-Norway vs Brazil:-Germany vs Japan:-Norway vs Germany:-Brazil vs Japan:-Norway vs Japan:... |
Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
 2000Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra... |
Third Place | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
 2004Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament -Seeding:-Group E:---------Group F:---------Group G:---------------------Knockout stage:-Quarter finals:-------------Semi finals:-----Bronze medal match:-Final:-Medalists:... |
Third Place | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 3 |
| 2008 |
Third Place | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
 2012Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics is scheduled to be held in London and several other cities in the United Kingdom, from 25 July to 11 August. The finals will be played at Wembley Stadium. Associations affiliated with FIFA are invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
| Total | 4/4 | 19 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 35 | 15 |
European Championship record
Germany failed to qualify for the first two UEFA European ChampionshipsUEFA Women's Championship
The UEFA European Women's Championship, also called the UEFA Women's Euro and unofficially the "European Cup", held every fourth year, is the main competition in women's association football between national teams of the UEFA Confederation...
in 1984 and 1987. Since 1989, the German team has participated in every tournament and is the record European champion with seven titles. Germany has won the last five championships in a row and has an overall 28–4–1 win–draw–loss record. The worst German result at the European championship finals was finishing fourth in 1993.
| Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws* | Losses | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Did not Qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 1987 |
Did not Qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1989 |
Champions | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
 19911991 UEFA Women's Championship The 1991 UEFA Women's Championship took place in Denmark. It was won by Germany in a final against Norway in a repeat of the previous edition's final... |
Champions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
 19931993 UEFA Women's Championship The 1993 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 1993 was a football tournament that happened between 1991 and 1993 . The final games was held in Italy. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA, the... |
Fourth Place | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 4 |
| 1995 1995 UEFA Women's Championship The 1995 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 1995 was a football tournament that happened between 1993 and 1995 . The final game was held in Germany. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA,... |
Champions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 4 |
| 1997 1997 UEFA Women's Championship The 1997 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 1997 was a football tournament held in 1997 in Norway and Sweden. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA, the European governing body, who have... |
Champions | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 2001 2001 UEFA Women's Championship 2001 UEFA Women's Championship took place in Germany between June 23 and July 7 . It was won by Germany in the final against Sweden thanks to a golden goal.... |
Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
 20052005 UEFA Women's Championship The 2005 UEFA Women's Championship, also referred to as WOMEN'S EURO 2005 , was a football tournament for women held from 5 June to 19 June 2005 in Lancashire, England. The UEFA Women's Championship is a regular tournament involving European national teams from countries affiliated to UEFA, the... |
Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
 20092009 UEFA Women's Championship The 2009 UEFA Women's Championship, or just Women's Euro 2009, was played in Finland between August 23 and September 10, 2009. The host was appointed on July 11, 2006, in a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Berlin and the Finnish proposal won over the Dutch proposal.The UEFA Women's Championship... |
|Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 5 |
| Total | 8/10 | 33 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 98 | 22 |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicksPenalty shootout (football)A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
. - **Missing flag indicates no host country; tournament was played in two-leg knockout rounds (with the exception of the 1995 final).
External links
- Official site
- 25 years of the German women's national football team: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
- Complete head-to-head statistics
- Database of all official matches