On Sunday evening in Frankfurt Japan face the USA in the Women’s World Cup Final. Also up for grabs is the Women’s Unofficial Football World Championships (WUFWC).
The USA women’s national team are the current WUFWC champions, while the Japanese team are the current women’s unofficial Asian champions. And of course the Japanese men’s side is the current Unofficial Football World Champions, and the unofficial Asian champions. Can Japan become unofficial champions of both the men’s and women’s game?
If Japan win the Women’s World Cup Final, it will be only the fifth time ever that a side has held four unofficial titles (men’s and women’s world, and men’s and women’s continental) at the same time. The previous four were:
- 11 May 1974 to 31 May 1974: Holland
- 12 March 1975 to 15 June 1975: England
- 7 May 1989 to 14 June 1989: Sweden
- 25 March 1998 to 29 April 1998: Brazil
In fact, all in all, Japan would hold six world football titles simultaneously – the four unofficial ones, as well as being the official champions of Asia (men) and the world (women). The current official women’s Asian champions are Australia.
Neither Holland, England nor Sweden held the official world or continental titles (men or women) at the time, so only Brazil would have held more titles simultaneously (seven in all – they held all four unofficial, plus three official – only the Women’s World Cup eluded them, as Norway were the holders at the time).
This could all be hypothetical, as the USA are strong favourites to win the final, but you never know!
You can follow the Women’s UFWC at the UFWC forum.
