The 1990s was a transformative decade for women’s football. The likes of Germany, Norway and USA developed outstanding national sides, a first ‘strategic plan’ to grow the game was created in England while, in the shape of Michelle Akers, the sport had gained its first global megastar.

This development coincided with the creation of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 1991 and the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament five years later, events born to bring the sport’s best players together on a global stage. A staggering 44 players have gone on to conquer both tournaments. FIFA takes a look at how they managed that feat.

The Dream Team
Players: Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Mary Harvey, Carin Jennings, Kristine Lilly, Shannon MacMillan, Tiffeny Milbrett, Carla Overbeck, Cindy Parlow, Tiffany Roberts, Briana Scurry, Tisha Venturini
Olympics: Atlanta 1996
FIFA Women’s World Cup: China 1991, USA 1999

As an Akers-inspired USA side claimed the first Women’s World Cup trophy against Norway at China 1991, they set in motion a decade of dominance that changed the landscape of female football forever.
They would, indeed, take home gold from the first-ever Women’s Olympic Football Tournament five years later as well, as Akers and Co defeated China PR in the final.

The Stars and Stripes then closed out the decade as they opened it. Seven members of the side who lifted the inaugural trophy returned to do it again in 1999 on home soil, including Chastain, whose final-winning penalty and celebration will forever be ingrained in history.

The Norwegian quartet
Players: Bente Nordby, Gro Espeseth, Hege Riise, Marianne Pettersen
Olympics: Sydney 2000
FIFA Women’s World Cup: Sweden 1995

Despite USA’s early dominance on the international scene, a vastly talented Norway squad managed to follow in their footsteps by winning the next edition of the Women’s World Cup, before clinching gold at the second Olympic Football Tournament.

Legendary goalkeeper Nordby conceded just once, while Riise dazzled at the Sweden showpiece with an adidas Golden Ball-winning campaign, netting in the final alongside Pettersen as Norway defeated Germany 2-0.

That trio, alongside gold-medal match scorer Espeseth, led the nation to gold at Sydney 2000. Despite losing 2-0 to USA in their first match, Norway rallied and would eventually sink their North American counterparts 3-2 in the final, with Dagny Mellgren netting the only golden-goal decider in the competition’s history.

USA’s three-peat
Players: Shannon Boxx, Brandi Chastain, Lori Chalupny, Lauren Cheney, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Tobin Heath, Sydney Leroux, Kristine Lilly, Carli Lloyd, Kate Markgraf, Alex Morgan, Kelley O’Hara, Heather O’Reilly, Cindy Parlow, Christie Rampone, Megan Rapinoe, Amy Rodriguez, Becky Sauerbrunn, Briana Scurry, Hope Solo, Lindsay Tarpley, Abby Wambach
Olympics: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012
FIFA Women’s World Cup: China 1991, USA 1999, Canada 2015, France 2019

While USA missed out on gold at Sydney 2000, they immediately bounced back in Athens, as the classes of ’91 and ’99, mixed with a handful of players who would go on to lift the 2015 title, combined to conquer. Brazil, much like Norway, took USA to extra time, but Wambach made sure history wouldn’t repeat itself with a trademark header to seize gold.

The pair met again four years later where, once more, the destination of the gold medal would be decided in extra time. The tension-laden Beijing bout was decided by a Lloyd thunderbolt, after Solo had earlier denied Marta with an iconic save.

A place in the record books was duly secured in London. USA became the first nation in the history of the Games to win three consecutive tournaments, with Lloyd the hero once more, netting a brace to sink Japan and claim some revenge for their Women’s World Cup final loss the year previous.

Their vengeance was rubber-stamped in Canada, with Lloyd unsurprisingly at the heart of it with an iconic hat-trick in a 5-2 win over the Nadeshiko. Captain America was then one of six players headed to France with a gold medal to their name, as USA secured a fourth world crown with victory over the Netherlands.

Sextet finally crown Germany
Players: Saskia Bartusiak, Melanie Behringer, Annike Krahn, Simone Laudehr, Anja Mittag, Babett Peter
Olympics: Rio 2016
FIFA World Cup: China 2007

Germany dominated the 2000s on the World Cup stage, taking home both titles on offer. That control, however, didn’t follow suit in the Olympics, as the Europeans could only manage three bronze medals ahead of Rio 2016.

Six of the side which won the title in 2007 travelled to South America nine years later. After finishing second in Group F on goal difference, Germany seized the initiative to sweep aside China and Canada to setup a Maracana battle with Sweden.

Captain Bartusiak and top-scorer Behringer started the game alongside Krahn and Mittag with Peter on the bench, though 2007 final goalscorer Laudehr missed the match following an injury earlier in the tournament. Her team-mates completed the job in her absence, though, to clinch the elusive gold medal.