Portal:Women's association football

Rapinoe with the United States in 2019

Megan Anna Rapinoe (/rəˈpiːnoʊ/ ^ⓘ; born July 5, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a winger. She spent most of her career playing for OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. Winner of the Ballon d'Or Féminin and named The Best FIFA Women's Player in 2019, Rapinoe won gold with the national team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and played at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, where the U.S. finished second. Rapinoe co-captained the national team alongside Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan from 2018 to 2020. She previously played for the Chicago Red Stars, Philadelphia Independence, and magicJack in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), as well as Lyon Women in France's Division 1 Féminine.

Rapinoe is internationally known for her crafty style of play and her activism off the pitch. Her precise cross to Abby Wambach in the 122nd minute of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup quarterfinal match against Brazil resulted in an equalizer and eventual win for the Americans after a penalty shootout. The last-minute goal received ESPN's 2011 ESPY Award for Best Play of the Year. During the 2012 London Olympics, she scored three goals and tallied a team-high four assists to lead the United States to a gold medal. She is the first player, male or female, to score a goal directly from a corner at the 2012 Olympic Games, having done so twice. She won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France. (Full article...)

• ... that sisters Ada and Andrine Hegerberg scored one goal each when the Norwegian team won 2–1 against Canada in the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup? (27 September 2013)
• ... that while the Rwanda women's national football team has not played a FIFA-recognised match, a professional women's league in the country has attracted women from Uganda? (24 April 2012)
• ... that the Yemen women's national football team has four training sessions a week? (18 June 2012)
• ... that Netherlands Antilles women's national football team faces development challenges because football is only the sixth most popular sport in the country? (26 May 2012)
• ... that while the Oman women's national football team has yet to play a game, a club from Oman played matches against national teams from Jordan and Syria? (30 June 2012)
• ... that while Réunion women's national football team is not recognised by FIFA, the team has played full internationals against South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe? (20 June 2012)

• ... that the Nike Phantom Luna football boot considers women's anatomy and the playing style of women's football in its design?
• ... that Ellaisa Marquis has been called the "marquis player" of women's football in Saint Lucia?
• ... that when Swedish soccer player Beata Olsson transferred from Florida to Florida State, she said that she did not really know about the schools' rivalry?
• ... that despite being the first women's football team in Northern Ireland to sign players on professional contracts, Cliftonville Ladies F.C. were not the first club to register them?
• ... that soccer player Danielle Marcano scored four goals in back-to-back games that helped to send the University of Tennessee to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals for the first time in history?
• ... that horses were responsible for delaying the deciding match of the Barcelona women's football team's 1973 winning season?

The Japan women's national football team (Japanese: サッカー日本女子代表, Hepburn: Sakkā Nippon Joshi Daihyō), commonly known as Nadeshiko Japan (なでしこジャパン), represents Japan in women's association football and is run by the Japan Football Association (JFA). One of the two countries to win every FIFA competition and the most successful women's national team in the Asian Football Confederation, its highest ranking in the FIFA Women's World Rankings is 3rd, achieved in December 2011.

Nadeshiko Japan defeated the United States in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, thus claiming their first FIFA Women's World Cup title, becoming the first Asian team to do so and only the fourth women's world champions. It won silver medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, making it the only Asian team to have three combined medals from international championships. It also won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cups, the 2010 and 2018 Asian Games, and the 2008, 2010, and 2019 EAFF Football Championships. (Full article...)