The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification process decided the 15 teams which played at the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, with the host China initially qualified automatically as the host nation. The qualification process for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup saw 99 teams from the six FIFA confederations compete for the 16 places in the tournament's finals. The places were divided as follows:
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 25 August 2001 – 12 July 2003 |
| Teams | 99 (from 6 confederations) |
← 1999 2007 → | |
| Team | Qualified as | Qualification date | Appearance in finals |
Last appearance |
Consecutive streak |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 China |
Hosts Runners-up (2003 AFC Women's Championship) |
26 October 2000 | 4th | 1999 | 4 | Runners-up (1999) |
 Germany |
UEFA qualification Group 4 winners | 18 April 2002 | 4th | 1999 | 4 | Runners-up (1995) |
 Norway |
UEFA qualification Group 1 winners | 9 May 2002 | 4th | 1999 | 4 | Champions (1995) |
 Russia |
UEFA qualification Group 3 winners | 8 June 2002 | 2nd | 1999 | 2 | Quarter-finals (1999) |
 Sweden |
UEFA qualification Group 2 winners | 26 June 2002 | 4th | 1999 | 4 | Third place (1991) |
 Canada |
2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup runners-up | 6 November 2002 | 3rd | 1999 | 3 | Group stage (1995) |
 United States |
2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup champions | 6 November 2002 | 4th | 1999 | 4 | Champions (1991, 1999) |
 France |
UEFA qualification Play-Off winners | 16 November 2002 | 1st | – | 1 | Debut |
 Ghana |
2002 African Women's Championship runners-up | 17 December 2002 | 2nd | 1999 | 2 | Group stage (1999) |
 Nigeria |
2002 African Women's Championship champions | 18 December 2002 | 4th | 1999 | 4 | Quarter-finals (1999) |
 Australia |
2003 OFC Women's Championship champions | 13 April 2003 | 3rd | 1999 | 3 | Group stage (1995, 1999) |
 Brazil |
2003 South American Women's Football Championship champions | 27 April 2003 | 4th | 1999 | 4 | Third place (1999) |
 Argentina |
2003 South American Women's Football Championship runners-up | 27 April 2003 | 1st | – | 1 | Debut |
 North Korea |
2003 AFC Women's Championship champions | 19 June 2003 | 2nd | 1999 | 2 | Group stage (1999) |
 South Korea |
2003 AFC Women's Championship 3rd place | 21 June 2003 | 1st | – | 1 | Debut |
 Japan |
CONCACAF–AFC play-off winners | 12 July 2003 | 4th | 1999 | 4 | Quarter-finals (1995) |
Like the previous edition, the AFC Women's Championship served as the tournament qualification for AFC members. Fourteens competed in the competition which included the World Cup hosts in China. After the group stage which eliminated ten teams from qualifying, the semi-finals saw the first team in North Korea as they defeated Japan 3-0. After China won the second semi, the third-place play-off would see South Korea qualify with a 1-0 victory over Japan which meant Japan had to qualify via play-off against the third place team from CONCACAF (Mexico).
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Korea
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 2 | +43 | 10 |
| South Korea
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 2 | +18 | 10 |
 Thailand
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 21 | −15 | 6 |
 Hong Kong
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 24 | −22 | 3 |
 Singapore
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | −24 | 0 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | +34 | 12 |
 Myanmar
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 7 |
 Chinese Taipei
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
 Philippines
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 26 | −24 | 3 |
 Guam
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 15 | −13 | 0 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | +29 | 9 |
 Vietnam
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 6 |
 India
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 3 |
 Uzbekistan
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 21 | −19 | 0 |
Knockout stage (top two teams qualify for World Cup)
| Semifinals | Final | ||||
| ||||||
| 19 June - Bangkok | |||||
| ||||||
| North Korea | 3 | ||||
| 21 June - Bangkok | |||||
| Japan | 0 | ||||
| North Korea | 2 | ||||
| 19 June - Bangkok | |||||
| China | 1 | ||||
| China | 3 | ||||
| ||||||
| South Korea | 1 | ||||
| Third place | |||||
| ||||||
| 21 June - Bangkok | |||||
| ||||||
| Japan | 0 | ||||
| ||||||
| South Korea | 1 | ||||
Like the previous edition, the Africa Women's Championship served as the tournament qualification for CAF members.
The seven winners of the second qualifying round advanced to the final tournament: Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 9 | Knockout stage |
| Nigeria
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 6 | |
 Mali
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 1 | |
 Ethiopia
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 1 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  South Africa
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | Knockout stage |
| 2 |  Cameroon
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Angola
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Zimbabwe
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 2 |
Knockout stage (top two teams qualify for World Cup)
| Semifinals | Final | ||||
| ||||||
| 17 December - Warri | |||||
| ||||||
| Ghana | 3 | ||||
| 20 December - Warri | |||||
| Cameroon | 2 | ||||
| Ghana | 0 | ||||
| 18 December - Warri | |||||
| Nigeria | 2 | ||||
| South Africa | 0 | ||||
| ||||||
| Nigeria | 5 | ||||
| Third place | |||||
| ||||||
| 20 December - Warri | |||||
| ||||||
| Cameroon | 3 | ||||
| ||||||
| South Africa | 0 | ||||
Sweden -- Russia -- Germany -- Norway -- FranceThe 16 teams belonging to Class A of European women's football were drawn into four groups, from which the group winners qualify for the World Cup. The four runners-up were played in playoff-matches for the 5th berth.
United States -- CanadaThe 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup second-placed Canada qualified for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. The winner USA qualified as host. The third-placed Mexico played against Japan in two play-off matches for qualification.
AustraliaThe 2003 OFC Women's Championship determined the OFC's one qualifier for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup — the winner Australia.
Brazil -- ArgentinaThe fourth edition of the Sudamericano Femenino (Women's South American Championship) in 2003 determined the CONMEBOL's qualifiers Brazil and Argentina.
The draw for the order of legs was held at the FIFA headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland on 4 March 2003. The matches were originally scheduled to take place on 10 and 17 May 2003.[1] However, due to the postponement of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the matches instead took place on 5 and 12 July 2003.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico 
|
2–4 | Japan
|
2–2 | 0–2 |