Germany women's national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Germany

Nickname(s)	DFB-Frauenteam (DFB Women's Team) DFB-Frauen (DFB Women)
Association	Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB)
Confederation	UEFA
Head coach	Christian Wück
Captain	Giulia Gwinn
Most caps	Birgit Prinz (214)
Top scorer	Birgit Prinz (128)
Home stadium	Various
FIFA code	GER
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	2 (7 December 2018)
Highest	1 (October 2003 – December 2006, October – December 2007, December 2014 – March 2015, March 2017)
Lowest	6 (August – December 2023)
First international
West Germany 5–1 Switzerland  (Koblenz, West Germany; 10 November 1982)
Biggest win
Germany 17–0 Kazakhstan  (Wiesbaden, Germany; 19 November 2011)
Biggest defeat
United States 6–0 Germany  (Decatur, United States; 14 March 1996)
World Cup
Appearances	9 (first in 1991)
Best result	Champions (2003, 2007)
European Championship
Appearances	12 (first in 1989)
Best result	Champions (1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013)
Olympic Games
Appearances	6 (first in 1996)
Best result	Gold medal (2016)
Nations League Finals
Appearances	1 (first in 2024)
Best result	Third place (2024)
Medal record FIFA Women's World Cup Gold 2003 United States Team Gold 2007 China Team Silver 1995 Sweden Team UEFA Women's Championship Gold 1989 West Germany Team Gold 1991 Denmark Team Gold 1995 Germany Team Gold 1997 Norway–Sweden Team Gold 2001 Germany Team Gold 2005 England Team Gold 2009 Finland Team Gold 2013 Sweden Team Silver 2022 England Team Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team Bronze 2000 Sydney Team Bronze 2004 Athens Team Bronze 2008 Beijing Team Bronze 2024 Paris Team UEFA Women's Nations League Finals Bronze 2024 France, Netherlands & Spain Team
Website	DFB.de

The Germany women's national football team represents Germany in international women's football. The team is managed by the German Football Association (DFB).

Germany's women's team is one of the most successful in women's football history. They have won the World Cup twice, in 2003 and 2007. They have also won eight of the thirteen UEFA European Championships. This includes winning six titles in a row from 1995 to 2013.

Germany is one of only two nations to win both the women's and men's European tournaments. They are also one of only two teams to win both the women's and men's World Cups. The team won an Olympic gold medal in 2016. Before that, they earned three bronze medals in 2000, 2004, and 2008.

Birgit Prinz holds the record for playing the most games and scoring the most goals for the team. She also won the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times. Prinz is one of the top goalscorers in Women's World Cup history.

For a long time, women's football was not taken seriously in Germany. Official matches were even banned by the DFB until 1970. However, the team became very popular after winning the World Cup in 2003. They were even named Germany's Sports Team of the Year. As of December 2024, Germany is ranked third in the FIFA Women's World Rankings.

Team History: How it Started

Early Days and Challenges

In 1955, the DFB in West Germany banned women's football. They said it was "foreign to the nature of women" and could "damage body and soul." They also thought it was not proper to show the body. Despite this ban, over 150 unofficial international matches were played in the 1950s and 1960s. The ban was finally lifted on October 30, 1970.

Even after the ban was lifted, the DFB was slow to create an official women's national team. In 1981, the DFB was invited to send a team to an unofficial women's world championship. To avoid embarrassment, they sent the German club champions, Bergisch Gladbach 09. This club won the tournament and won again in 1984. Seeing the need, the DFB finally created the women's national team in 1982. Gero Bisanz was chosen to build the team.

First European Wins (1982–1994)

In September 1982, Bisanz picked 16 players for the first team. Their first international game was on November 10, 1982, in Koblenz. They played against Switzerland and won 5–1. Doris Kresimon scored the first goal. Silvia Neid, who later became a coach, scored two goals in that game.

Germany did not qualify for the first two European Championships in 1984 and 1987. Coach Bisanz focused on improving basic skills and developing young players. He started calling up younger players in 1985.

In 1989, Germany qualified for the European Championship for the first time. The tournament was held in West Germany. The semi-final against Italy was the first women's international football match shown live on German TV. Germany won after a penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Marion Isbert saved three penalties and scored the winning one herself. On July 2, 1989, Germany beat Norway 4–1 in the final, winning their first international title.

After Germany reunited, the East German football association joined the DFB. The unified German team won the European Championship again in 1991. They beat Italy 3–0 in the semi-final and Norway 3–1 in the final after extra time.

In November 1991, Germany played in the first Women's World Cup in China. They reached the quarter-finals without letting in any goals. Silvia Neid scored Germany's first World Cup goal. They won against Denmark but lost 2–5 to the United States in the semi-final. Germany finished fourth after losing to Sweden.

The team did not win the 1993 European Championship. They lost to Italy in a penalty shootout in the semi-final. However, new talented players like Steffi Jones, Maren Meinert, and Silke Rottenberg joined the team.

World Cup Wins and Olympic Medals (2003–2023)

Germany won its third European Championship in 1995. They beat England in the semi-final and then Sweden 3–2 in the final.

At the 1995 World Cup in Sweden, Germany reached their first World Cup final. They lost 0–2 to Norway but achieved their best World Cup result so far.

Women's football became an Olympic sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Germany was eliminated in the group stage. After this, coach Gero Bisanz resigned, and his assistant Tina Theune became the new head coach. Silvia Neid became the new assistant coach.

The team won their fourth European Championship in 1997, beating Italy 2–0 in the final.

At the 1999 World Cup in the United States, Germany reached the quarter-finals. They played against the host team, the United States, in front of a huge crowd of 54,642 people. Germany lost 2–3 to the eventual champions.

Germany won the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. They beat Brazil 2–0 in the third-place match. This was Germany's first Olympic medal in football since 1988.

In 2001, Germany hosted and won the European Championship. They beat Sweden 1–0 in extra time with a golden goal by Claudia Müller, securing their fifth European title.

At the 2003 World Cup in the United States, Germany won all their group games. They beat Russia 7–1 in the quarter-final and the United States 3–0 in the semi-final. On October 12, 2003, Germany faced Sweden in the final. Nia Künzer scored the winning golden goal in extra time, giving Germany their first Women's World Cup title. Birgit Prinz was named the tournament's best player and top goalscorer.

Germany won their second Olympic bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, beating Sweden 1–0.

The 2005 European Championship was held in England. Germany won their sixth European title, beating Norway 3–1 in the final. After this tournament, Tina Theune stepped down, and Silvia Neid became the new national coach. In 2006, Germany won the Algarve Cup for the first time.

As the defending world champions, Germany played the opening game of the 2007 World Cup in China, winning 11–0 against Argentina. They reached the final and faced Brazil. Birgit Prinz scored for Germany, and goalkeeper Nadine Angerer saved a penalty from Brazil's Marta. Germany won 2–0, becoming the first team to win the World Cup without letting in any goals. They were also the first to win the Women's World Cup twice in a row.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Germany won another bronze medal, beating Japan 2–0.

Germany won their seventh European Championship at the 2009 tournament in Finland. They beat England 6–2 in the final.

Germany hosted the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. They won all three group games but were surprisingly defeated by Japan in the quarter-finals in extra time. This loss ended Germany's streak of sixteen undefeated World Cup games. Because they didn't finish in the top two European teams, Germany did not qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

At the 2013 European Championship in Sweden, Germany won their sixth straight European title. They beat Norway 1–0 in the final. Goalkeeper Nadine Angerer was named the best player of the tournament.

In the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Germany reached the semi-finals. They lost to the United States and then lost to England in the third-place match. This was Germany's first loss to England in 21 games.

At the 2019 World Cup, Germany won their group and beat Nigeria in the Round of 16. However, they were eliminated by Sweden in the quarter-finals, losing to them for the first time in 24 years. This meant they did not qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

At the 2022 European Championship, Germany reached the final but lost 1–2 to host England after extra time. This was Germany's first loss in a Euro final.

Germany entered the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup as one of the favorites. They started strong with a 6–0 win over Morocco. However, they lost to Colombia and tied with South Korea. This meant they were eliminated in the group stage for the first time in their history, which was a big surprise.

Team Identity

Nicknames

The Germany women's national football team is often called "Die Nationalelf" (The National Eleven).

Kits and Crest

The German women's team wears white shirts, black shorts, and white socks. These are the traditional colors of the German men's team. Their away kit is usually dark green.

The team's emblem features the Federal Eagle of Germany (Bundesadler). Since winning their first Women's World Cup in 2003, the team displays stars above the emblem to show their World Cup titles. They had one star after 2003 and two stars after 2007.

For the Olympic Games, Germany uses the coat of arms of Germany instead of the DFB logo. Adidas supplies the team's uniforms. The main sponsor is the German insurance company Allianz.

Home Stadium

The German national team does not have one specific home stadium. They play their home matches in different stadiums across the country. As of June 2011, they have played in 87 different German cities.

In the past, games were often played in smaller towns. As the team became more successful, especially after the 2003 World Cup win, more fans came to watch.

The record attendance for a Germany women's match was 73,680. This was for the 2011 World Cup opening game against Canada at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. This game also set a new European record for women's football.

Popularity

For much of the 20th century, women's football was not very popular in Germany. The 2003 World Cup title changed this. The final was watched by over 10 million viewers in Germany. The team was welcomed home by nearly 10,000 fans in Frankfurt. They were also named Germany's Sports Team of the Year in 2003.

The winning goal in the 2003 World Cup, scored by Nia Künzer, was voted Germany's Goal of the Year. This was the first time a female player won this award. Players received a bonus of 15,000 euros for winning in 2003, and 50,000 euros for winning in 2007. Since 2005, almost all of the women's national team's matches have been shown live on German television.

The final of the 2007 World Cup was watched by over 9 million TV viewers. After returning to Germany, the team was celebrated by 20,000 fans in Frankfurt. In December 2007, all players received the Silberne Lorbeerblatt, Germany's highest award for athletes.

Women's football is one of the fastest-growing sports in Germany. Attendance for the women's Bundesliga (the top league) more than tripled from 2022 to 2023.

In 2022, the most-watched sporting event on German TV was the women's national team's final at the Euros against England, with nearly 18 million viewers. In 2023, the women's team still had more TV viewers than the men's team.

Recent Matches

Here are the results of matches played in the last 12 months, and upcoming games.

Legend

      Win       Draw       Lose       Fixture

2024

2025

Coaching Staff

Current Coaches

Position	Name
Head coach	Christian Wück
Assistant coach	Maren Meinert
Assistant coach	Britta Carlson
Assistant coach	Thomas Nörenberg
Goalkeeping coach	Michael Fuchs
Team doctor	Bernd Lasarzewski

Past Managers

Christian Wück is the current head coach. The coach's official title is DFB-Trainer.

• Gero Bisanz (1982–1996) was the first coach. He led Germany to three European Championships (1989, 1991, 1995) and was runner-up at the 1995 World Cup.
• Tina Theune (1996–2005) was the first woman to be head coach. She won three European Championships (1997, 2001, 2005) and the 2003 World Cup. She also won two Olympic bronze medals.
• Silvia Neid (2005–2016) was an assistant coach before becoming head coach. She led Germany to win the 2007 World Cup and the 2009 and 2013 European Championships. She also won an Olympic bronze medal in 2008 and Olympic gold in 2016.
• Steffi Jones (2016–2018) took over after Silvia Neid.
• Horst Hrubesch (2018, interim) coached the team for a short time.
• Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (2019–2023) became the coach in 2019.
• Horst Hrubesch (2023–2024, interim) returned as interim coach and led the team to an Olympic bronze medal in 2024.
• Christian Wück took over after the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Player Records

Most Games Played

#	Name	Germany career	Caps	Goals
1	Prinz, BirgitBirgit Prinz	1994–2011	214	128
2	Stegemann, KerstinKerstin Stegemann	1995–2009	191	8
3	Hingst, ArianeAriane Hingst	1996–2011	174	10
4	Mittag, AnjaAnja Mittag	2004–2017	158	50
5	Wiegmann, BettinaBettina Wiegmann	1989–2003	154	51

Top Goalscorers

#	Name	Germany career	Goals	Caps	Ratio
1	Prinz, BirgitBirgit Prinz	1994–2011	128	214	0.6
2	Mohr, HeidiHeidi Mohr	1986–1996	83	104	0.8
3	Popp, AlexandraAlexandra Popp	2010–2024	67	145	0.46
4	Grings, InkaInka Grings	1996–2012	64	96	0.67
5	Šašić, CéliaCélia Šašić	2005–2015	63	111	0.57

Birgit Prinz, a former team captain, played 214 games for Germany from 1994 to 2011. She holds the record for most appearances. She is also the team's all-time leading goalscorer with 128 goals.

The largest win for Germany was 17–0 against Kazakhstan in November 2011. Their biggest loss was 6–0 against the United States in March 1996.

Former goalkeeper Nadine Angerer played the most games as a goalkeeper, with 145 appearances. She had 89 games without letting in a goal.

Germany also holds several international records. In 2007, they were the first team to win two Women's World Cup titles in a row. They also achieved the biggest win in World Cup history at that time, beating Argentina 11–0. Germany is the only team to win the Women's World Cup without letting in a single goal. They are also the only country to win both the men's and women's World Cups.

Player of the Year

• 2017: Linda Dallmann
• 2018: Svenja Huth
• 2019: Giulia Gwinn
• 2020: Lena Oberdorf
• 2021: Lea Schüller
• 2022: Alexandra Popp
• 2023: Klara Bühl
• 2024: Giulia Gwinn

Team Achievements

FIFA Women's World Cup

Germany is very successful at the FIFA Women's World Cup. They have won the tournament twice (2003, 2007) and finished as runner-up once (1995). They finished fourth in the first World Cup in 1991. Their worst result was being eliminated in the group stage in 2023. Germany has played in every Women's World Cup.

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1991	Fourth place	6	4	0	2	13	10
1995	Runners-up	6	4	0	2	13	6
1999	Quarter-finals	4	1	2	1	12	7
2003	Champions	6	6	0	0	25	4
2007	Champions	6	5	1	0	21	0
2011	Quarter-finals	4	3	0	1	7	4
2015	Fourth place	7	3	2	2	20	6
2019	Quarter-finals	5	4	0	1	10	2
2023	Group stage	3	1	1	1	8	3
Total	9/10	47	31	6*	10	129	42

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.

***Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Olympic Games

Women's football started at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Bettina Wiegmann scored the first Olympic goal in the opening game. Germany did not advance past the group stage that year.

Four years later, Germany won the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. They also finished third in 2004 and 2008.

Germany qualified for all Olympic tournaments until 2008. They did not qualify for the 2012 tournament. In 2016, the German team beat Sweden in the final to win their first Olympic gold medal. They won bronze again in 2024.

Summer Olympics record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1996	Group stage	3	1	1	1	6	6
2000	Third place	5	4	0	1	8	2
2004		5	4	0	1	14	3
2008		6	4	1	1	7	4
2012	Did not qualify
2016	Champions	6	4	1	1	14	6
2020	Did not qualify
2024	Third place	6	3	1	2	9	6
Total	6/8	31	20	4	7	58	27

UEFA Women's Championship

Germany did not qualify for the first two European Championships (1984, 1987). Since 1989, they have played in every tournament. Germany holds the record for most European titles with eight wins. They won six championships in a row from 1995 to 2013.

UEFA Women's Championship record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1984****	Did not qualify
1987
1989	Champions	2	1	1	0	5	2
1991		2	2	0	0	6	1
1993	Fourth place	2	0	1	1	2	4
1995	Champions	3	3	0	0	14	4
1997		5	3	2	0	6	1
2001		5	5	0	0	13	1
2005		5	5	0	0	15	2
2009		6	6	0	0	21	5
2013		6	4	1	1	6	1
2017	Quarter-finals	4	2	1	1	5	3
2022	Runners-up	6	5	0	1	14	3
2025	Qualified
Total	12/14	46	36	6*	4	107	27

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.

***Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

****Missing flag indicates no host country; tournament was played in two-leg knockout rounds (with the exception of the 1995 final).

UEFA Women's Nations League

UEFA Women's Nations League record
League phase													Finals
Season	LG	GP	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk		Year	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2023/24	A	3	1st	6	4	1	1	14	3		3rd		2024	3rd	2	1	0	1	3	2
2025	A	1	To be determined										2025	To be determined
Total				6	4	1	1	14	3	3rd			Total	0 Titles	2	1	0	1	3	2

	Promoted at end of season
	No movement at end of season
	Relegated at end of season
*	Participated in promotion/relegation play-offs

Honours and Awards

Major Competitions

• FIFA Women's World Cup
  • Champions (2): 2003, 2007
  • Runners-up (1): 1995

• UEFA Women's Championship
  • Champions (8): 1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013
  • Runners-up (1): 2022

• Summer Olympic Games
  • Gold Medal (1): 2016
  • Bronze Medal (4): 2000, 2004, 2008, 2024

• UEFA Women's Nations League
  • Third place (1): 2024

Summary of Medals

Competition				Total
FIFA Women's World Cup	2	1	0	3
UEFA Women's Championship	8	1	0	9
Summer Olympic Games	1	0	4	5
UEFA Women's Nations League	0	0	1	1
Total	11	2	5	18

Friendly Tournaments

• Algarve Cup
  • Champions (4): 2006, 2012, 2014, 2020

• Women's World Invitational Tournament
  • Champions (2): 1981, 1984

• SheBelieves Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 2016, 2017

Special Awards

• FIFA Women's World Cup Fair Play Trophy
  • Winners: 1991

• FIFA Women's World Cup Most Entertaining Team
  • Winners: 2003

• German Sports Team of the Year
  • Winners: 2003, 2009

• Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf - highest state award for athletes)
  • Winners: 1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2016

• Bambi Award
  • Winners: 2003, 2007

Titles Won

Awards and achievements
Preceded by 1999  United States	World Champions 2003 (first title) 2007 (second title)	Succeeded by 2011 Japan
Preceded by 2012  United States	Olympic champions 2016 (first title)	Succeeded by 2020 Canada
Preceded by 1987  Norway	European Champions 1989 (first title) 1991 (second title)	Succeeded by 1993 Norway
Preceded by 1993  Norway	European Champions 1995 (third title) 1997 (fourth title) 2001 (fifth title) 2005 (sixth title) 2009 (seventh title) 2013 (eighth title)	Succeeded by 2017 Netherlands

See also

In Spanish: Selección femenina de fútbol de Alemania para niños

• Sport in Germany
  • Football in Germany
    • Women's football in Germany
• Germany women's national football team
  • Germany women's national football team results
  • List of Germany women's international footballers
• Germany women's national youth football team
  • Germany women's national under-23 football team
  • Germany women's national under-21 football team
  • Germany women's national under-20 football team
  • Germany women's national under-19 football team
  • Germany women's national under-17 football team