The women's football tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics was held in London and five other cities in the United Kingdom from 25 July to 9 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to enter their women's teams in regional qualifying competitions, from which 11 teams, plus the hosts Great Britain reached the final tournament. There are no age restrictions for the players participating in the tournament. It is the first major FIFA affiliated women's tournament to be staged within the United Kingdom, and marked the first time a team representing Great Britain took part in the women's tournament.
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | United Kingdom |
| Dates | 25 July – 9 August |
| Teams | 12 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 6 (in 6 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  United States (4th title) |
| Runners-up |  Japan |
| Third place |  Canada |
| Fourth place |  France |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 71 (2.73 per match) |
| Attendance | 660,986 (25,423 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Christine Sinclair (6 goals) |
| Fair play award | United States |
← 2008 2016 → | |
Each National Olympic Committee may enter one women's team in the football tournament.
| Means of qualification | Date of completion | Venue1 | Berths | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | 2005 | none | 1 |  Great Britain
|
| AFC Preliminary Competition | 11 September 2011 |  China[1] |
2 | Japan North Korea
|
| CAF Preliminary Competition | 22 October 2011[2] | multiple | 2 |  Cameroon South Africa
|
| CONCACAF Preliminary Competition | 29 January 2012 | Canada[3] |
2 | United States Canada
|
| CONMEBOL Preliminary Competition | 21 November 2010 |  Ecuador |
2 |  Brazil Colombia
|
| OFC Preliminary Competition | 4 April 2012 | multiple | 1 |  New Zealand
|
| Best UEFA teams in 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup | 17 July 2011 |  Germany |
2 |  Sweden France
|
| TOTAL | 12 | |||
The tournament was held in six venues across six cities:
The draw for the tournament took place on 24 April 2012.[4] Great Britain, Japan and the United States were seeded for the draw and placed into groups E–G, respectively.[5] The remaining teams were drawn from four pots.[6]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
The women's tournament is a full international tournament with no restrictions on age. Each nation must submit a squad of 18 players.
On 19 April 2012, FIFA released the list of match referees that would officiate at the Olympics.[7]
| Confederation | Referee | Assistant referees |
|---|---|---|
| AFC | Hong Eun-ah (South Korea) | Sarah Ho (Australia) Kim Kyoung-min (South Korea) |
| Sachiko Yamagishi (Japan) | Widiya Habibah Shamsuri (Malaysia) Saori Takahashi (Japan) | |
| CAF | Thérèse Neguel (Cameroon) | Tempa Ndah (Benin) Lidwine Rakotozafinoro (Madagascar) |
| CONCACAF | Quetzalli Alvarado (Mexico) | Mayte Chávez (Mexico) Shirley Perelló (Honduras) |
| Carol Anne Chenard (Canada) | Marie-Josée Charbonneau (Canada) Stacy-Ann Greyson (Jamaica) | |
| Kari Seitz (United States) | Marlene Duffy (United States) Veronica Perez (United States) | |
| CONMEBOL | Salomé di Iorio (Argentina) | Mariana Corbo (Uruguay) María Rocco (Argentina) |
| UEFA | Kirsi Heikkinen (Finland) | Anu Jokela (Finland) Tonja Paavola (Finland) |
| Thalia Mitsi (Greece) | Yolanda Parga Rodríguez (Spain) María Luisa Villa Gutiérrez (Spain) | |
| Jenny Palmqvist (Sweden) | Helen Caro (Sweden) Anna Nyström (Sweden) | |
| Christina Pedersen (Norway) | Lada Rojc (Croatia) Hege Lanes Steinlund (Norway) | |
| Bibiana Steinhaus (Germany) | Katrin Rafalski (Germany) Marina Wozniak (Germany) |
Group winners and runners-up and the two best third-ranked teams advanced to the quarter-finals (also see Tie breakers).
All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1).
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Britain
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 9 | Qualified for the quarter-finals |
| 2 | Brazil
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 | |
| 3 | New Zealand
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Cameroon
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 |
| Great Britain | 1–0 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
Houghton  64' |
Report |
Attendance: 24,445[8]
Referee: Kari Seitz (United States)
| Cameroon | 0–5 | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Francielle 7' Costa 10'Marta 73' (pen.), 88'Cristiane 78' |
Attendance: 30,847[9]
Referee: Jenny Palmqvist (Sweden)
| New Zealand | 0–1 | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Cristiane 86' |
Attendance: 30,103[10]
Referee: Bibiana Steinhaus (Germany)
| Great Britain | 3–0 | Cameroon |
|---|---|---|
| Stoney 18' J. Scott 23'Houghton 82' |
Report |
Attendance: 31,141[11]
Referee: Hong Eun-ah (South Korea)
| New Zealand | 3–1 | Cameroon |
|---|---|---|
| Smith 43' Sonkeng 49' (o.g.)Gregorius 62' |
Report | Onguéné 75' |
Attendance: 11,425[12]
Referee: Christina Pedersen (Norway)
| Great Britain | 1–0 | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Houghton 2' |
Report |
Attendance: 70,584[13]
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (Canada)
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 5 | Qualified for the quarter-finals |
| 2 | Japan
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | |
| 3 | Canada
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 4 | |
| 4 | South Africa
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 |
| Japan | 2–1 | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Kawasumi 33' Miyama 44' |
Report | Tancredi 55' |
Attendance: 14,119[14]
Referee: Kirsi Heikkinen (Finland)
| Sweden | 4–1 | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Fischer 7' Dahlkvist 20'Schelin 21', 63' |
Report Report |
Modise 60' |
Attendance: 18,290[15]
Referee: Salomé di Iorio (Argentina)
| Japan | 0–0 | Sweden |
|---|---|---|
| Report Report |
Attendance: 14,160[16]
Referee: Quetzalli Alvarado (Mexico)
| Canada | 3–0 | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Tancredi 7' Sinclair 58', 86' |
Report |
Attendance: 14,753[17]
Referee: Christina Pedersen (Norway)
| Japan | 0–0 | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Attendance: 24,202[18]
Referee: Efthalia Mitsi (Greece)
| Canada | 2–2 | Sweden |
|---|---|---|
| Tancredi 43', 84' |
Report Report |
Hammarström 14' Jakobsson 16' |
Attendance: 12,719[19]
Referee: Hong Eun-ah (South Korea)
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 9 | Qualified for the quarter-finals |
| 2 | France
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 6 | |
| 3 | North Korea
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 3 | |
| 4 | Colombia
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
| United States | 4–2 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Wambach 19' Morgan 32', 66'Lloyd 56' |
Report | Thiney 12' Delie 14' |
Attendance: 18,090[20]
Referee: Sachiko Yamagishi (Japan)
| Colombia | 0–2 | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Kim Song-hui 39', 85' |
Attendance: 18,900[21]
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (Canada)
| United States | 3–0 | Colombia |
|---|---|---|
| Rapinoe 33' Wambach 74'Lloyd 77' |
Report |
Attendance: 11,313[22]
Referee: Efthalia Mitsi (Greece)
| France | 5–0 | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Georges 45' Thomis 70'Delie 71'Renard 81'Catala 87' |
Report |
Attendance: 11,743[23]
Referee: Thérèse Neguel (Cameroon)
| United States | 1–0 | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Wambach 25' |
Report |
Attendance: 29,522[24]
Referee: Jenny Palmqvist (Sweden)
| France | 1–0 | Colombia |
|---|---|---|
| Thomis 5' |
Report |
Attendance: 13,184[25]
Referee: Quetzalli Alvarado (Mexico)
† Game delayed by one hour, having been originally scheduled at 19:45,[26] due to North Korean protest after accidental use of South Korean flag for North Korea.[27]
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 4 |
| New Zealand
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| North Korea
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 3 |
| Green indicates qualified for the quarter-finals |
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Gold medal match | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Great Britain
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| F3 | Canada
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| F3 | Canada
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| G1 | United States (aet)
| 4 | ||||||||||||
| G1 | United States
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | New Zealand
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| G1 | United States
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| F2 | Japan
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| F1 | Sweden
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| G2 | France
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| G2 | France
| 1 | Bronze medal match | |||||||||||
| F2 | Japan
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Brazil
| 0 | F3 | Canada
| 1 | |||||||||
| F2 | Japan
| 2 | G2 | France
| 0 | |||||||||
| Sweden | 1–2 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Fischer 18' |
Report Report |
Georges 29' Renard 39' |
Attendance: 12,869[28]
Referee: Kari Seitz (United States)
| United States | 2–0 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Wambach 27' Leroux 87' |
Report |
Attendance: 10,441[29]
Referee: Salomé di Iorio (Argentina)
| Brazil | 0–2 | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Ōgimi 27' Ohno 73' |
Attendance: 28,528[30]
Referee: Kirsi Heikkinen (Finland)
| Great Britain | 0–2 | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Filigno 12' Sinclair 26' |
Attendance: 28,828[31]
Referee: Sachiko Yamagishi (Japan)
| France | 1–2 | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Le Sommer 76' |
Report | Ōgimi 32' Sakaguchi 49' |
Attendance: 61,482[32]
Referee: Quetzalli Alvarado (Mexico)
| Canada | 3–4 (a.e.t.) | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Sinclair 22', 67', 73' |
Report | Rapinoe 54', 70' Wambach 80' (pen.)Morgan 120+3' |
Attendance: 26,630[33]
Referee: Christina Pedersen (Norway)
 Canada | 1–0 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Matheson 90+2' |
Report |
Attendance: 12,465[34]
Referee: Jenny Palmqvist (Sweden)
 United States | 2–1 | Japan  |
|---|---|---|
| Lloyd 8', 54' |
Report | Ōgimi 63' |
Attendance: 80,203[35]
Referee: Bibiana Steinhaus (Germany)
There were 71 goals scored in 26 matches, for an average of 2.73 goals per match.
6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
Carli Lloyd3 goals
Yūki Ōgimi Alex Morgan Megan Rapinoe2 goals
Marta Marie-Laure Delie Laura Georges Wendie Renard Élodie Thomis Kim Song-hui Nilla Fischer Lotta Schelin1 goal
Renata Costa Gabrielle Onguéné Jonelle Filigno Diana Matheson Camille Catala Eugénie Le Sommer Gaëtane Thiney Jill Scott Casey Stoney Nahomi Kawasumi Aya Miyama Shinobu Ohno Mizuho Sakaguchi Sarah Gregorius Rebecca Smith Portia Modise Lisa Dahlkvist Marie Hammarström Sofia Jakobsson Sydney Leroux1 own goal
Ysis Sonkeng (against New Zealand)Source: FIFA[36]
5 assists
4 assists
3 assists
Élodie Thomis Megan Rapinoe2 assists
Rhian Wilkinson Karen Carney Kim Little Shinobu Ohno Marie Hammarström Tobin Heath1 assist
Francielle Adrienne Iven Diana Matheson Lauren Sesselmann Christine Sinclair Sonia Bompastor Aya Miyama Aya Sameshima Homare Sawa Ria Percival Rosie White Sofia Jakobsson Lina Nilsson Caroline Seger Sara Thunebro Kelley O'Hara Heather O'Reilly Christie Rampone Hope SoloSource: FIFA[36]
Lady Andrade was banned two matches for violent conduct in punching Abby Wambach.[37]The United States won the FIFA Fair Play Award, given to the team with the best record of fair play during the tournament. Every match in the final competition is taken into account but only teams that reach the second stage of the competition are eligible for the Fair Play Award.[36]
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States
|
945 |
| 2 | Sweden
|
890 |
| 3 | France
|
875 |
| 4 | Japan
|
874 |
| 5 | Canada
|
863 |
| 6 | New Zealand
|
844 |
| 7 | Great Britain
|
798 |
| 8 | Brazil
|
698 |
Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | United States
|
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 | +10 | 18 | Gold medal |
| 2 | F | Japan
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 11 | Silver medal |
| 3 | F | Canada
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 10 | Bronze medal |
| 4 | G | France
|
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 9 | Fourth place |
| 5 | E | Great Britain (H)
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 9 | Eliminated in quarter-finals |
| 6 | E | Brazil
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | |
| 7 | F | Sweden
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 5 | |
| 8 | E | New Zealand
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 3 | |
| 9 | G | North Korea
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 3 | Eliminated in group stage |
| 10 | F | South Africa
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 | |
| 11 | G | Colombia
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 | |
| 12 | E | Cameroon
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 |
In the first day of the Olympic events on 25 July, the match between DPR Korea and Colombia was delayed by a little over an hour because the flag of South Korea was mistakenly displayed on the electronic scoreboard in Hampden Park. The North Korean team walked off the pitch in protest at seeing the South Korean flag displayed by their names and refused to warm-up whilst the flag was being displayed. They also objected to the South Korean flag being displayed above the stadium, even though the flags of all the competing countries were being displayed. The game then commenced after a delay and rectification of the error.[38]
Andy Mitchell, venue media manager for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), read out a LOCOG statement shortly afterwards:[39][40]
"Today ahead of the Women’s football match at Hampden Park, the South Korean flag was shown on a big screen video package instead of the North Korean flag. Clearly that is a mistake, we will apologise to the team and the National Olympic Committee and steps will be taken to ensure this does not happen again".
LOCOG's statement had to be reissued because it failed to use the nations' official titles, "Republic of Korea" and "Democratic People's Republic of Korea".[41]
British Prime Minister David Cameron added that it was an "honest mistake" and efforts would be undertaken to ensure such a mishap does not recur. However, North Korean manager Sin Ui-gun expressed reservations about whether the incident was a mistake of intention and said: "We were angry because our players were introduced as if they were from South Korea, which may affect us greatly as you may know. Our team was not going to participate unless the problem was solved perfectly and fortunately some time later, the broadcasting was corrected and shown again live so we made up our mind to participate and go on with the match. If this matter cannot be solved, we thought going on was nonsense. Winning the game cannot compensate for that thing".[42]
During the semi-final match between Canada and the United States, a time-wasting call was made against the Canadian goalkeeper, Erin McLeod, when she held the ball longer than the allowed six seconds. As a result, the American side was awarded an indirect free-kick in the box. On the ensuing play, Canada was penalized for a handball in the penalty box, with the American team being awarded a penalty kick, which Abby Wambach converted to tie the game at 3–3. The Americans went on to win the match in extra time, advancing to the gold medal game.[43][44] After the match, Canada forward Christine Sinclair stated, "the ref decided the result before the game started." FIFA responded by stating that the refereeing decisions were correct and saying it was considering disciplinary action against Sinclair, but that any disciplinary action would be postponed until after the end of the tournament.[45][46][47]
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