Competitive history
1991: Three Asian debutants
China, Japan and Chinese Taipei became the first Asian countries to compete at the FIFA Women's World Cup, with China honoured to become the first country to host the first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup in 1991. While China qualified throughout hosting it, Japan and Chinese Taipei only qualified to the tournament throughout the 1991 AFC Women's Championship by finishing second and third, respectively. The Japanese were not successful, finishing bottom after three defeats to Brazil, Sweden and the United States. The hosts China and its neighbour Chinese Taipei were far more successful, but neither managed to go beyond the quarter-finals, losing to Sweden and the United States (which eliminated Japan from the group stage) respectively.
1995: lesser Asian teams, but more promising results
Chinese Taipei failed to qualify for the tournament after the 1994 Asian Games, leaving China and Japan as lone Asian representatives in the 1995 edition held in Sweden. However, despite the initial setback, the World Cup proved to be a major success for both teams. Japan faced major difficulties after being drawn in group A with hosts Sweden, as well as Brazil and Germany, but managed to stun the Brazilians 2–1 to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time, where its journey ended with a 0–4 thumping by then-defending champions United States. China, meanwhile, impressed even better, reaching the semi-finals, but had its chance prevented by eventual runners-up Germany, before losing the third place to the United States.
1999: first Asian nation in a FIFA World Cup Final
The 1999 edition in the United States was a historic moment for Asia. Three nations qualified to the World Cup via the 1997 AFC Women's Championship, with China and Japan again made their appearances, while North Korea debuted. Japan, after the 1995 success, could not replicate that performance, finishing bottom of the group after just a draw with Canada and two hammering defeats to Russia and Norway. North Korea also failed to progress to knockout phase, but salvaged a 3–1 win over Denmark to avoid finishing last. China was the most successful, winning five games in a row, including the 5–0 triumph over then-champions Norway to reach the final, where the Chinese managed to hold the United States goalless, but lost on penalty shootout 4–5. Nonetheless, China's appearance meant for the first time, a World Cup final featured a team from Asia.
2003: SARS outbreak and a less successful show
Initially, China was awarded the rights to host the 2003 edition, but SARS outbreak forced China to relinquish the rights to host, subsequently moved back to 1999 hosts United States. That World Cup saw a record debutant from Asia to four, with three teams in 1999 edition and the newcomer South Korea, but the 1999 momentum was not repeated. China topped the group after beating Ghana, Russia and drawing Australia, but lost to Canada in the last eight. Japan and North Korea disappointed by only winning one single game in the group stage and could not reach the last eight. South Korea, being the debutant, could not make any surprise at all, losing all three games to Brazil, France and Norway, scoring just one in process.
2007: going back to Asia, Australia's first WWC in AFC and some improvement
After relinquishing the rights to host the 2003 edition due to SARS, China was awarded the rights to host the 2007 edition without contesting. This tournament marked Australia's first entrance to the World Cup as an AFC member, having competed in three previous World Cups as an OFC member. This World Cup saw three Asian teams reached the knockout stage for the first time ever: China reached the last eight after finishing second, behind eventual runners-up Brazil, but fell to Norway 0–1, repeating its 1991's quarter-finals defeat to a Nordic team; North Korea overcame Sweden by goal difference to qualify for the knockout stage for the first time despite losing 1–2 against the Swedes (thanked to North Korea's impressive 2–2 draw over powerhouse United States), before losing 0–3 to the eventual winner Germany; Australia also reached the last eight for the first time, having beaten Ghana 4–1 before holding both Norway and Canada to progress, where Australia lost to Brazil 2–3. Japan, once again, failed to impress, gaining four points out of three games, including its only 1–0 win over Argentina, and got eliminated from the group stage.
2011: History made, first Asian champions: Nadeshiko Japan
The 2011 tournament in Germany marked two watershed moments in Asian women's football. The tournament saw China absent for the first time in the history, after failing to win third in the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup; three Asian World Cup participants were Japan, Australia and North Korea. However, what would follow turn to be one of the greatest feat ever in Asian football history. Australia successfully reached the quarter-finals for the second time in a row, including the famous 2–1 win over former champions Norway, which sent Norway out in process, before losing 1–3 to Sweden. Japan, meanwhile, did the unthinkable by conquering the tournament, including three wins over three women's football titans in the knockout stage (Germany, Sweden and the United States); with England being the only team Japan lost in process. The Japanese victory was even more unthinkable considering the country had just suffered from the disastrous 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that led to the cancellation of the women's league, thus turning the win as the greatest giant-killing miracle in modern history. North Korea turned out to be the only Asian team to impress nothing in the tournament, losing to the United States and Sweden, before drawing Colombia goalless and crashed out of the group stage with no goal and just a point.
2015: Japan almost stroke again, new record of participants
2015 edition in Canada marked history for Asia when five Asian teams participated, with Japan as the defending champions. China returned to World Cup after missing the 2011 tournament, while South Korea returned since 2003. Thailand marked its first entrance to the World Cup after beating Vietnam in the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup play-offs, leaving Australia (other than Japan) the only team to have a stable competing streak. The tournament was another success for almost every Asian team: China, in its return, reached the quarter-finals, beating the Netherlands, New Zealand and Cameroon, but lost to United States; Australia gained a historic record by winning the first-ever knockout stage game, a shock 1–0 win over Brazil, to reach the last eight, where they lost to Japan; South Korea overcame rising powerhouse Spain 2–1 to eliminate the Spaniards in process before losing to France 0–3; while Japan was the most successful, again reached the final of the World Cup after recording six one-goal margin wins in the tournament, even against weaker opponents like Ecuador, but had its dream to win the second World Cup in a row dashed by the Americans, who took revenge of the 2011 loss. Thailand was the only team from Asia to fail to reach the knockout stage, yet Thailand came close to qualify, including a 3–2 group stage win over debutant Ivory Coast.
North Korea, four-time World Cup participant, was disqualified after its players being tested of doping found positive.
2019: disappointment for Asia
The 2019 Women's World Cup in France marked another history for Asia, albeit this was poorly perceived. With the same participants came from the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup, hopes were high. Yet for the first time ever, no country from Asia was able to qualify for the quarter-finals, made it the poorest performance for Asian football at the Women's World Cup.
Former champions Japan performed not impressive in the group stage, being held drawn goalless to Argentina before beating Scotland 2–1, but lost to England 0–2 before having its journey ended with the 1–2 loss to the Dutch. China also performed poorly in the tournament, gaining only a single win and scored only a single goal, both against South Africa, before losing to Italy 0–2 in the last sixteen.
Australia was the only Asian team to truly put up more fights, beating Brazil 3-2 and Jamaica (with a historic Sam Kerr four-scoring goal match) in the group stage before holding former champions Norway despite being reduced to ten women, but lost on penalty shootout 1–4. South Korea lost all three group stage games to France 0–4, Nigeria 0–2 and Norway 1–2; while Thailand marked a dark chapter as the worst-performed team in the history of every FIFA Women's World Cup edition, including the historic 0–13 loss to eventual champions United States, the worst ever defeat at any senior FIFA tournament for men's or women's; subsequently Thailand fell 1–5 to Sweden and 0–2 to Chile to finish bottom with only a goal scored and 20 goals conceded.
2023: record debutants, third time hosting and the historical Matildas at home
With Australia and New Zealand awarded the rights to host the 2023 edition, this marked the first ever FIFA Women's World Cup to be hosted by two countries. As for the result, Australia became the second AFC member to do so, and thus automatically qualified for the tournament as hosts. With the exception of Australia, the others had to qualify via the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, which saw China, South Korea, Japan and the Philippines directly qualified, while Vietnam later qualified throughout the playoff stage.
Meanwhile Philippines, Vietnam, China and South Korea was eliminated on the group stage, Japan and Australia qualified. The Nadeshiko Japan after eliminates Norway on the Round of 16, they was eliminated by Sweden in the quarter-finals. Australia's Matildas (even with the absence of Sam Kerr for most of the tournament due to a calf injury), make history and for the first time they made it through onto semifinals after eliminating Denmark and favourites France in the longest penalty shoot-out decision in both men's and women's FIFA World Cup history. Unfortunately, Australia was eliminated by England in the semifinals and ends the tournament finishing in fourth place after loss 2-0 to Sweden.
Chinese Taipei 
