2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Last updated

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
Tournament details
Dates4 April 2013 – 2 December 2014
Teams134 (from 6 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played406
Goals scored1,686 (4.15 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of the Netherlands.svg Vivianne Miedema (16 goals)
2011
2019

The qualification for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup determined which 23 teams joined Canada, the hosts of the 2015 tournament, to play for the Women's World Cup.

Contents

The field was expanded from 16 teams in the 2011 edition to 24 in the 2015 edition. As a result, a new distribution of slots to each confederation was announced by FIFA on 11 June 2012: [1]

A record of 134 FIFA member nations (not counting Canada) entered the qualifying tournaments. Additionally two non-FIFA nations entered the CONCACAF qualifying. Four African teams withdrew before playing any match.

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Qualified
Did not qualify
Did not enter
Not active women's team 2015 womens world cup qualification.PNG
  Qualified
  Did not qualify
  Did not enter
  Not active women's team

Qualified teams

TeamQualified asQualification dateAppearance
in final
Consecutive
streak
Previous best performance FIFA
Ranking
1
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Hosts3 March 20116th6Fourth place (2003)8
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup winner18 May 20147th7Winners (2011)3
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup runner-up18 May 20146th6Quarterfinals (2007, 2011)10
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China PR 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup 3rd place17 May 20146th1Runners-up (1999)14
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup 4th place17 May 20142nd1First round (2003)17
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup 5th place21 May 20141st1Debut30
Flag of Switzerland.svg   Switzerland UEFA qualification group 3 winner15 June 20141st1Debut18
Flag of England.svg  England UEFA qualification group 6 winner21 August 20144th3Quarterfinals (1995, 2007, 2011)7
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway UEFA qualification group 5 winner13 September 20147th7Winners (1995)9
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany UEFA qualification group 1 winner13 September 20147th7Winners (2003, 2007)2
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain UEFA qualification group 2 winner13 September 20141st1Debut16
Flag of France.svg  France UEFA qualification group 7 winner13 September 20143rd2Fourth place (2011)4
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden UEFA qualification group 4 winner17 September 20147th7Runners-up (2003)5
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 2014 Copa América Femenina winner26 September 20147th7Runners-up (2007)6
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia 2014 Copa América Femenina runner-up28 September 20142nd2First Round (2011)31
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 2014 African Women's Championship winner22 October 20147th7Quarterfinals (1999)35
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 2014 African Women's Championship runner-up22 October 20141st1Debut51
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship winner24 October 20147th7Winners (1991, 1999)1
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship runner-up24 October 20141st1Debut40
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 2014 African Women's Championship 3rd place25 October 20141st1Debut64
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship 3rd place26 October 20143rd2First Round (1999, 2011)25
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 2014 OFC Women's Nations Cup winner29 October 20144th3First Round (1991, 2007, 2011)19
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands UEFA qualification play-off winner27 November 20141st1Debut15
Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador CONMEBOL-CONCACAF play-off winner2 December 20141st1Debut49
1. ^ The rankings are shown as of 19 September 2014 – the last rankings published prior to the official draw. [2]

Qualifying tournaments

ConfederationTournamentNations startedQualifiedSlotsQualification startedQualification ends
AFC 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup 2055
CAF 2014 African Women's Championship 2633
CONCACAF 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship 28+113+13½+1
CONMEBOL 2014 Copa América Femenina 103
OFC 2014 OFC Women's Nations Cup 411
UEFA 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (UEFA) 4688
Total134+123+123+14 April 20132 December 2014

Confederation qualification

AFC

(20 teams competing for 5 berths)

As in the previous World Cup cycle, the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup served as the qualifying tournament. A total of 20 AFC teams competed for five berths.

The final tournament, held in Vietnam from 14 to 25 May 2014, was competed by eight teams, four of which – Australia, China, Japan and South Korea – were automatically qualified though their 2010 placement, while the others were determined via a qualification tournament. [3] North Korea was banned from the tournament due to the sanction on their doping cases in 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. [4]

Group stage

The top two teams from each group advanced to the semifinals of the tournament as well as qualifying for the World Cup. The third placed teams advanced to a playoff against each other to determine the fifth and final qualifying team from the AFC.

Group A
PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 37
2Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 37
3Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam (H)33
4Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan 30
Source: AFC
(H) Host.
Group B
PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 37
2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China PR 37
3Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 33
4Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar 30
Source: AFC

Japan, Australia, China and South Korea qualified for the World Cup. Vietnam and Thailand advanced to the fifth-place play-off.

Fifth place play-off

Team 1 Score Team 2
Vietnam  Flag of Vietnam.svg1–2Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand

Thailand qualified for the World Cup.

CAF

(26 teams competing for 3 berths)

As in the previous World Cup cycle, the 2014 African Women's Championship served as the qualification tournament for the Women's World Cup. The qualifying saw a record entry of 25 CAF teams (26 if including final tournament host Namibia). Four teams though withdrew before playing any matches.

A total of eight teams (the host nation and seven teams which came through the qualifying rounds) competed at the final tournament in Namibia from 11 to 25 October 2014. The top three teams of the final tournament qualified for the World Cup.

Knockout stage

 
SemifinalsFinal
 
      
 
22 October
 
 
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 2
 
25 October
 
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 1
 
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 2
 
22 October
 
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 0
 
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon (a.e.t.)2
 
 
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 1
 
Third place
 
 
25 October
 
 
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 0
 
 
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 1

Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast qualified for the World Cup.

CONCACAF

(28 teams competing for 3 or 4 berths, host nation Canada also qualifies)

As with the previous World Cups, the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship served as the region's qualification tournament. A total of 30 teams entered qualifying, with Martinique and Guadeloupe not eligible for World Cup qualification as they are only members of CONCACAF and not FIFA. Therefore, a total of 28 teams were in contention for the three direct places plus the play-off place against CONMEBOL's Ecuador. Canada did not participate as they already qualified to the World Cup as hosts.

The final tournament was held in the United States from 15 to 26 October 2014, and the final group draw took place on 5 September. [5] The United States and Mexico received byes to the tournament's final round, where they were joined by Costa Rica and Guatemala from Central America and by Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, and Trinidad and Tobago from the Caribbean zone. Both finalists and the third placed team qualified automatically to the 2015 Women's World Cup. The fourth placed team advanced to play the third placed team from CONMEBOL for an additional World Cup berth. It was announced during the Final Draw on 5 September that Martinique was not able to advance beyond the group round, and that the next best team would have taken their place in the semifinals if they finished in the top two in their group. [6] [7]

Knockout stage

 
SemifinalsFinal
 
      
 
24 October
 
 
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica (pen.)1 (3)
 
26 October
 
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 1 (0)
 
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 0
 
24 October
 
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 6
 
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3
 
 
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 0
 
Third place match
 
 
26 October
 
 
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 2
 
 
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico (a.e.t.)4

United States, Costa Rica and Mexico qualified for the World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the CONCACAF–CONMEBOL play-off.

CONMEBOL

(10 teams competing for 2 or 3 berths)

As with previous World Cup qualifications, the 2014 Copa América Femenina served as the qualification tournament to the World Cup finals.

All 10 CONMEBOL teams competed in the tournament, held in Ecuador from 11 to 28 September 2014. The top two teams of the second stage qualified directly for the World Cup, while the third placed team advanced to play the fourth placed team from CONCACAF for an additional World Cup berth.

Final stage

PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 37
2Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia 35
3Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador (H)33
4Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina 31
Source: CONMEBOL
(H) Host.

OFC

(4 teams competing for 1 berth)

As in the previous World Cup cycle, the 2014 OFC Women's Nations Cup served as the qualifying tournament.

Only four OFC teams played in the tournament, held in Papua New Guinea from 25 to 29 October 2014. [8] That was fewer than in the last four editions of the tournament. The winner qualified.

Final stage

PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 39
2Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea (H)36
3Flag of the Cook Islands.svg  Cook Islands 31
4Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga 31
Source: OFC
(H) Host.

New Zealand qualified for the World Cup.

UEFA

(46 teams competing for 8 berths)

A record 46 UEFA teams entered qualification. The eight lowest teams entered the tournament in the preliminary round and were drawn into two groups of four, played in single round-robin format from 4 to 9 April 2013 in Malta and Lithuania respectively. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the group stage.

The group stage was played in home-and-away round-robin format from 20 September 2013 to 17 September 2014. All seven group winners qualified directly to the final tournament, while the four runners-ups with the best record against the sides first, third, fourth, and fifth in their groups advanced to play-off matches for the remaining berth.

The play-off matches were played in home-and-away two-legged format on 25/26 and 29/30 October (semi-finals), and 22/23 and 26/27 November 2014 (finals).

Group stage

Group 1
PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 1030
2Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 1022
3Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland 1017
4Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia 108
5Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia 106
6Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 104
Source: UEFA
Group 2
PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 1028
2Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 1025
3Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 1014
4Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 1011
5Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 107
6Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia 101
Source: UEFA
Group 3
PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of Switzerland.svg   Switzerland 1028
2Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 1019
3Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 1018
4Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 1012
5Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia 1010
6Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 100
Source: UEFA
Group 4
PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 1030
2Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 1024
3Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 1016
4Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina 109
5Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 105
6Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg  Faroe Islands 102
Source: UEFA
Group 5
PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1027
2Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 1025
3Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 1019
4Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 1012
5Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 103
6Flag of Albania.svg  Albania 103
Source: UEFA
Group 6
PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of England.svg  England 1030
2Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 1022
3Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 1019
4Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 1012
5Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 106
6Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 100
Source: UEFA
Group 7
PosTeamPldPts
1Flag of France.svg  France 1030
2Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 1021
3Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 1021
4Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 1012
5Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 104
6Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria 101
Source: UEFA

Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, England and France qualified for the World Cup. Italy, Scotland, Netherlands and Ukraine advanced to the play-offs.

Play-offs

 SemifinalsFinal
             
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 101 
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 224 
  Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 123
 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 112
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 224
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 123 

Netherlands qualified for the World Cup.

CONMEBOL–CONCACAF play-off

The play-off was contested between Trinidad and Tobago, CONCACAF's fourth-placed team, and Ecuador, CONMEBOL's third-placed team. The draw for the order of legs was held in Zürich on 22 July 2014. [9] Ecuador hosted the first leg on 8 November 2014, and Trinidad and Tobago hosted the second leg on 2 December 2014. [10]

Team 1 Agg. Team 21st leg2nd leg
Ecuador  Flag of Ecuador.svg1–0Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 0–0 1–0

Ecuador qualified for the World Cup.

References and notes

  1. "Qualification slots for Canada 2015 confirmed". FIFA.com. 11 June 2012.
  2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA.com. Zurich, Switzerland: FIFA. 19 September 2014. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  3. "Women's giants to know opponents". Asian Football Confederation. 18 October 2012. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  4. "VN eyes Women's World Cup on 'golden chance'". Tuổi Trẻ . 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  5. "Host Cities and Qualification Format Announced for CONCACAF Women's Championship 2014". concacaf.com. 24 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  6. "Draw Yields Matchups for CONCACAF Women's Championship USA 2014". concacaf.com. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  7. "CONCACAF Women's Championship USA 2014 Regulations". CONCACAF. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  8. "OFC Women's Nations Cup dates finalised". Oceania Football Confederation. 23 September 2014. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  9. "New international calendar for women's football in the spotlight". FIFA.com. 22 July 2014.
  10. "@FIFAWWC". Twitter. 21 October 2014.

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