Mundialito (women)

Last updated
Mundialito
Founded1984;39 years ago (1984)
Abolished1988
RegionInternational
Last championsFlag of England.svg  England
(2nd title)
Most successful team(s)Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
(3 titles)

The Mundialito (Spanish for "little World Cup") was a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's association football. Held on four occasions in the northern region of Italy since 1984, it was one of the most prestigious women's football events, prior to the advent of the FIFA Women's World Cup and Women's Olympic Football.

Contents

History

The first edition of the tournament was played in Japan in September 1981. Italy drew 1–1 with Denmark then beat Japan 9–0, [1] while England beat Japan 4–0 but lost 1–0 to Denmark. [2] Japan–Denmark and England–Italy fixtures were not played.

In 1984 and 1985, the teams first played round-robin within a single pool, then a further match to decide the winner and third place. In 1986 and 1988, the preliminary round was contested within two groups, each sending a team to participate in the final match.

The most successful teams were Italy with three titles and England with two titles. The 1985 tournament was notable for the international debut of the United States women's national soccer team. [3]

Another more recent international tournament for women's football teams, the Algarve Cup, has also been unofficially known as the Mundialito. [4]

Results

YearHostsFinalThird Place Match
WinnerScoreRunner-up3rd PlaceScore4th Place
1981JapanFlag of Italy.svg
Italy
(Partial) round-robinFlag of Denmark.svg
Denmark
Flag of England.svg
England
(Partial) round-robinFlag of Japan (1870-1999).svg
Japan
1984ItalyFlag of Italy.svg
Italy
3–1Flag of Germany.svg
West Germany
Flag of England.svg
England
2–1Flag of Belgium (civil).svg
Belgium
1985ItalyFlag of England.svg
England
3–2Flag of Italy.svg
Italy
Flag of Denmark.svg
Denmark
1–0Flag of the United States.svg
United States
1986ItalyFlag of Italy.svg
Italy
1–0Flag of the United States.svg
United States
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
China
2–1Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg
Japan
1988ItalyFlag of England.svg
England
2–1 (aet)Flag of Italy.svg
Italy
Flag of the United States.svg
United States
1–0Flag of France.svg
France

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References

  1. "GIAPPONE - ITALIA". FIGC. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  2. "Danmark 1-0 England". DBU.dk. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  3. "Anniversary of First WNT Game". U.S. Soccer. 2005-08-26. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  4. "USA lay down a marker". FIFA. 2010-03-04. Archived from the original on March 8, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-04.