2015 FIFA Women's World Cup final

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup final
U.S. celebrations following Carli Lloyd's opening goal
Event2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
United States Japan
5 2
Date5 July 2015 (2015-07-05)
VenueBC Place, Vancouver
Player of the MatchCarli Lloyd (United States)
RefereeKateryna Monzul (Ukraine)
Attendance53,341[1]
WeatherSunny
25 °C (77 °F)
50% humidity[2][3]
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The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup final was a women's soccer match that took place on 5 July 2015 at BC Place, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to determine the winner of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. It was played between Japan and the United States, in a rematch of the 2011 final. The stakes were high for both sides: if the United States won the match, it would be the only country to have won in three Women's World Cup finals; if Japan had won instead, then it would be the first team, men's or women's, to win twice under the same coach (Norio Sasaki for Japan) since Vittorio Pozzo led Italy to victory in the 1934 World Cup and the 1938 World Cup. Ultimately, the United States won 5–2, winning its first title in 16 years and becoming the first team to win three Women's World Cup finals.

Because of the expanded competition format, it was the first time the finalists had played a seventh game in the tournament. The United States had previously reached the final game three times, winning twice (in 1991 and 1999) and placing as runners up in 2011. This was Japan's second successive final appearance and was their attempt to be the first country to successfully defend a title since Germany in the 2007 World Cup. Both teams were undefeated throughout the tournament, with the United States only conceding one goal in the six matches leading up to the final and Japan winning all of their matches in regular time.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference USA-JPN match report was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Start list – Final – USA v Japan" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 July 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Match Facts – Final – USA v Japan". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2020.