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                   1999 FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP   
                                     
   

Awarded to the United States on May 31, 1996, the 1999 Women's World Cup marks the third women's world championship held under the auspices of Federation International de Football Association (FIFA).  The finest women's national teams in the world contest the title every four years.  Any of FIFA'S 198 member nations in good standing are eligible to enter the preliminary competition.  FIFA anticipates that approximately 70 nations will enter the tournament with qualifying matches beginning in December of 1997.  A total of 16 nations will compete in the final tournament, up from 12 countries for both the 1991 and 1995 events.  The United States won the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991 in China, and norway took top honors at the 1995 championship in Sweden. 

As host, the United States gains an automatic berth into the tournament.  Defending World Cup Champion does not get an automatic berth and must qualify through Europe.  The preliminary round of Women's World Cup will be played in double-header formats.  The entire three-week, 32 game tournament will encompass 19 playing dates with the breakdown as follows:  12 first-round doubleheaders (24 games), 4 single-game quarter finals, 2 semifinals and a double-header featuring the third-place match and Final Game.  The 16 nations will be drawn into four groups of four teams.  Each country will play the other teams in their group once, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the quarterfinals.

The 1999 Women's World Cup Organizing Committee is currently in the final stages of selecting five to eight venues for the tournament, which will be announced in the fall of 1997.      In April of 1997, the Organizing committee sent bid proposals to 22 committees interested in hosting games.  The Women's World Cup received responses from communities representing 15 stadiums.  On June 25, 1997, the committee paired pared the number potential stadiums to 12, located in nine communities, and will spend the summer months visiting with bid committees and touring potential stadiums.  Some stadiums may be downsized with draping, banners, and other decorative elements to create a more intimate and exciting soccer environment.

Though the final dates are not confirmed, the tournament is expected to take place June 20-July 9, 1999.  The timeframe includes three weekends, including the fourth of July Holiday, which is Sunday in 1999. 

Tickets and methods of sale will not be established until after the venue selection process in completed .  It is anticipated that tickets will go on sale in mid-1998.  Fans can place their name on a priority list and get more information on the 1999 Women's World Cup by calling 1-888-4-WWC-INFO.

The United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) is host to the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and has established the Women's World Cup Organizing Committee (the LOC), which is based in Los Angeles, to oversee the preparation and staging  of the event.  On March 1, 1996, U.S. Soccer submitted a bid to FIFA to host the third Women's World Cup expanded to, expanded a 16-nation competition. The original concept proposed by FIFA for the tournament to take place in intimate stadiums located primarily in the Eastern time zone.  As a result, U.S. Soccer's initial bid contained information on small stadiums located only on the East Coast. The United States was named host of the 1999 Women's World Cup on May 31, 1996, less than two months before the U.S. Women's national Team opened play at the Atlanta Olympics.   Bolstered by the support shown for women's soccer in the Olympics, the significant growth of the sport in the United States over the last 10 years, and the belief that the 1999 Women's World Cup could be a breakthrough event for women's sport.  U.S. Soccer went back to FIFA with a request to change the scale of the tournament.  The result was a tournament that will be held in major markets and major stadiums across the nation.

The 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup will be the second FIFA world Championship to be held in the USA, the first being the 1994 World Cup.  The 1994 World Cup is considered the greatet World Cup ever held attracting 3.5 million spectators and more than 32 billion television viewers.

The 1999 FIFA Women's World Cuip Board of Directors is comprised of the leadership of U.S. Soccer and Women's World Cup Organizing Committee.  Alan Rothenberg, the President of U.S. Soccer, is the Chairman of the Board:

Alan I. Rothenberg, President - U.S. Soccer
Lawrence A. Monaco, Jr., Executive Vice President - U.S. Soccer
William Goaziou, Treasurer - U.S. Soccer
Hank Steinbrecher, Executive Director/General Secretary - U.S. Soccer
Melissa Apcel, General Counsel - U.S. Soccer
Donna de Varona, Chair - 1999 Women's World Cup
Marla P Messing, President - 1999 Women's World Cup

The Organizing Commitee is headed by Donna de Varona, Chair, and President and Chief Operating Officer Marla Messing.  The Organizing Committee envisions a staff of approximately 40-50 employees by tournament time with 50% of those people being located in the individual venues.  The headquarters are in Los Angelos , California.

Left -  Website Author Gerard Robbins
and U.S. National Team Member Mia Hamm





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