Format & regulations

Contested every four years, the FIFA Women's World Cup has been showcasing the game's top female talent since its inception as the Women's World Championship in 1991.

Sixteen teams compete in the final tournament (to be expanded to 24 in 2015), with UEFA supplying up to five not including the hosts. Qualifying consists of a year-long group stage, each side playing home and away with the section winners progressing to the autumn play-offs, producing four qualifiers for the finals. The defeated sides then compete in further two-legged ties for a chance to enter the one-off UEFA-CONCACAF play-off.

The final tournament consists of four groups of four, with the top two sides from each advancing to the quarter-finals where it becomes a knockout competition, with extra time and penalty shoot-outs used to decide the winner if necessary. The losing semi-finalists compete to determine third place.

Regulations
The regulations for the FIFA Women's World Cup have been approved by the FIFA Organising Committee and ratified by the FIFA Executive Committee.