In 1971, the first women’s world cup was held in Mexico. Although unsanctioned by FIFA, it featured blanket press coverage, packed stadiums, and huge sponsorship deals. Denmark beat Mexico in the finals, 3-0, but the real winners were women’s soccer everywhere.
First, and perhaps most crucially, bans on women playing the beautiful game were lifted. Yes, women had been banned from forming teams or using men’s soccer fields in many countries! As a result, national teams sprang up throughout the 1970s in Europe and North America. The first (official) international women’s tournaments were held in Asia in 1975, and Europe in 1984, eventually leading to the first FIFA women’s world cup in 1991.
