Spanish Women’s Football History- 7 key points
The history of the Spanish women’s national football (soccer) team is one of growth, challenges, and achievements.
Early Years and Struggles (1970s-1990s):
The Spanish women’s national football team was formed in the late 1970s. However, during its early years, women’s football faced challenges and a lack of institutional support in Spain. The team struggled to gain recognition and adequate resources to develop the sport.
Espanyol Femen, a pioneering team in Spanish women’s football, was formally established in 1970 as the women’s football division of La Liga club Real Club Deportivo Espanyol. Like its more well-known counterpart, Espanyol Femen is a founder member of Spain’s women’s premier division. Even less well recognized than that is the fact that Espanyol Femen was Barcelona’s top women’s team for the most of the past 50 years.
Emergence and International Competitions (2000s):
In the early 2000s, the Spanish women’s team began to show improvements and gained momentum. They participated in international competitions such as the UEFA Women’s Championship (also known as the Women’s Euro) and the FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers. While they didn’t make significant progress in these tournaments, their participation marked a step forward for women’s football in Spain.
2010 – 2012: Rise and Achievements:
The 2010s saw a notable rise in the performance and visibility of the Spanish women’s national team. The team started to qualify for major international tournaments regularly, including the UEFA Women’s Euro and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This period marked a significant improvement in Spain’s women’s football infrastructure, including youth development programs and increased attention from media and fans.
2017 U19 Women’s World cup winner & Historic European Championship Run:
One of the most significant moments in the history of the Spanish women’s team came in the 2017 with Spain’s Under-19 women’s team won the FIFA U-19 World Cup and great show at UEFA Women’s Euro. Spain reached the quarterfinals of the Euro tournament, their best performance up to that point. This achievement generated excitement and increased interest in women’s football in the country. Watch the best of the action from Spain and Portugal’s match at UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 by clicking the image below.
2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup:
The Spanish women’s team qualified for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup held in France. They reached the Round of 16 but were eliminated by the eventual champions, the United States. You can watch the highlights of that match by clicking the image above. Despite the exit, their performance demonstrated further progress and highlighted the growing quality of women’s football in Spain.
2020-2022 Longest Unbeaten Run:
Post 2020 there has been continued growth in women’s football in Spain. More attention has been given to the domestic league, La Liga F, and efforts have been made to address gender disparities and improve opportunities for female players. The success and visibility of players like Jenni Hermoso, Alexia Putella, and others have contributed to inspiring young talent and promoting the sport. In this time span the Spanish women’s football team had longest unbeaten run of 1,221 days without a defeat match (between 9 March 2020 and 12 June 2022) .
Spain wins FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup:
Spain beat England by 1-0 to secure its first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup title at Stadium Australia on 20th Aug 2023.
Champions of the world 🏆
Congratulations to @SEFutbolFem on making history and winning the @FIFAWWC for the very first time! pic.twitter.com/LOOYD1Ie7P
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) August 20, 2023
