Women's association football, more commonly known as women's football or women's soccer, is the team sport of association football played by women. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries, and 187 national teams participate internationally. The same rules, known as the Laws of the Game, are used for both women's and men's football.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as CONCACAF, is one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 41 member associations represent countries and territories mainly in North America, including the Caribbean and Central America, and, for geopolitical reasons, three nations from the Guianas subregion of South America—Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. The CONCACAF's primary functions are to organize competitions for national teams and clubs, and to conduct the World Cup and Women's World Cup qualifying tournaments.
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) governs most levels of soccer in the United States, including the national teams, professional leagues, and amateur leagues, being the highest soccer authority in the country. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs most colleges; secondary schools are governed by state-level associations, with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) setting the rules at that level. The match regulations are generally the same between the three governing bodies although there are many subtle differences.
In Canada, soccer is the most popular sport in terms of participation rate; according to FIFA's Big Count, almost 2.7 million people played in Canada in 2006. Professional soccer in Canada is played in the Canadian Premier League and Major League Soccer. Canada also has many semi-professional and amateur soccer leagues. Canada's men's and women's national soccer teams are ranked 33rd and 6th respectively in the FIFA World Rankings as of February 10, 2022.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation (ALFC) was the section of AFC that managed women's association football in Asia. The group was independently founded in April 1968 in a meeting involving Taiwan, British Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. In 1986, ALFC merged with AFC.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) (in French Confédération Africaine de Football) is the administrative and controlling body for association football, beach soccer, and futsal in Africa. It was established on 8 February 1957 at the Grand Hotel in Khartoum, Sudan by the national football associations of: Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa. following formal discussions between the aforementioned associations at the FIFA Congress held on 7 June 1956 at Avenida Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal.
The Canadian Soccer Association is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, and amateur levels, including: the men's and women's national teams, Canadian Premier League, youth organizations, beach soccer, futsal, Paralympic and deaf national teams. The Canadian Soccer Association also administers and operates the Canadian Championship.
Christine Margaret Sinclair is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and, from 2000 until her retirement from international soccer in 2023, was a member of the Canadian national team. An Olympic gold medallist, two-time Olympic bronze medallist, CONCACAF champion, and 14-time winner of the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award, Sinclair is officially the world's all-time leader for international goals scored for men or women with 190 goals, and is one of the most-capped international soccer players with 331 appearances.
Nadine Marejke Angerer is a German football coach and player who is the former goalkeeping player-coach for Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Association football, or soccer, as it is usually called in South Africa, is the nation's most popular sport and South Africa national soccer team is the nation's favourite sports team followed by rugby union and cricket. The governing body is the South African Football Association (SAFA), while the Premier Soccer League is the organisation responsible for running the country's two professional divisions, namely the South African Premier Division and the National First Division. The main cup competitions are the Nedbank Cup and the MTN 8 Cup.
Amandine Chantal Henry is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for National Women's Soccer League club Utah Royals FC and the France national team.
Meghan Elizabeth Klingenberg is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A former member of the United States women's national soccer team, she is a one-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She has also played for three teams in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, for Tyresö FF in Sweden's Damallsvenskan and for the Houston Dash in the NWSL.
Lindsey Michelle Horan is an American professional women's soccer player for French club Lyon in Division 1 Féminine, and Captain for the United States women's national soccer team.
Crystal Alyssia Soubrier is an American professional soccer player for National Women's Soccer League club Gotham FC and the United States women's national team. She first appeared for her country during an international friendly against Scotland on February 13, 2013. She has since made more than 100 total appearances for the team.
Natalia Kuikka is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Finland national team. She was named the Finnish Footballer of the Year in 2022 by the Finnish sports journalists.
Raquel "Rocky" Rodríguez Cedeño is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League and the Costa Rica women's national team.
The FIFA Women's Club World Cup is an international women's association football competition that is proposed by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The inaugural edition is scheduled to take place in early 2026.
Relevent Sports Group (RSG) is a New York City-based sports media company and promoter of sporting events. It owns and operates the International Champions Cup. According to the New York Times, RSG is one of the two largest soccer promoters in the US. In Europe RSG has been described as one of the most important companies promoting soccer in the US. The company was founded in 2012 by RSE Ventures, and is owned and was co-founded by Stephen M. Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins.
Shelby Ann Hogan is an American professional soccer goalkeeper for the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
The Women's Cup is an annual club women's soccer invitational tournament hosted by Racing Louisville FC in the United States.
2022 Women's International Champions Cup 
