U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Headed to 2023 World Cup

Of the eight previous World Cups, the United States has won four, Germany two, Japan one, and Norway one.

The Census Bureau’s International Database (IDB) tells us how the 32 countries in the World Cup rank by population, growth rate, density, fertility, life expectancy and other measures.

For example, the table below shows the populations of the 32 countries from largest to smallest. The most populous country, China, is 500 times more populous than the smallest country, Jamaica.

But when sorted by population density, South Korea (the most dense at 536.2 people per square kilometer) is 157.7 times more densely populated than Australia, the least dense at 3.4 people per square kilometer.

• China is more populous than the next 10 countries in the 2023 World Cup.
  
  
• India, soon to be the world’s most populous country, is not in the World Cup. Cricket, hockey and other sports are more popular than football (soccer) there.
  
  
• The first Women’s World Cup in 1991 had 12 teams. China was host. The United States won, beating Norway.
  
  
• In 1999, the United States hosted the cup in California (Rose Bowl, Pasadena) and won, beating China.
  
  
• Sixteen countries competed in each of the four cups from 1999 to 2011.
  
  
• In 2015 and 2019, 24 countries competed; the United States won both cups.
  
  
• The United States made the past three finals, and only lost once — in 2011 to Japan 3-1 (penalty shoot-out).
  
  
• Countries that made the final four (number of times): U.S. (8); Germany (5); Norway (4); Sweden (4); Brazil, China, England, Japan (2); and Canada, France, the Netherlands (1).