1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament

1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament

Official poster
Tournament details
Host country	China
Dates	1–12 June
Teams	12 (from 6 confederations)
Final positions
Champions	Norway
Runners-up	Sweden
Third place	Brazil
Fourth place	China
Tournament statistics
Matches played	26
Goals scored	81 (3.12 per match)

The 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament, or International Women's Football Tournament, was organised by FIFA in China from 1 to 12 June 1988. The competition was a test to study if a global women's World Cup was feasible following the experience of non-FIFA invitational competitions such as the Mundialito (1981–88) and the Women's World Invitational Tournament (1978–87).^[1] The competition was a success and on 30 June FIFA approved the establishment of an official World Cup for 1991, which would also be held in China.^[2]

Twelve national teams took part in the competition – four from UEFA, three from AFC, two from CONCACAF and one from CONMEBOL, CAF and OFC. European champion Norway defeated Sweden 1–0 in the final to win the tournament, while Brazil clinched the bronze by beating the hosts in a penalty shootout. Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States also reached the final stages.^[3]