Netherlands women's national football team
The Netherlands women's national football team (Dutch: Nederlands vrouwenvoetbalelftal) is the women's association football team that represents the European country of the Netherlands. They are managed by the Royal Dutch Football Association and are part of UEFA and FIFA. In 1971, they played their first official match recognized by FIFA against France. The team has taken part in the UEFA Women's Championship three times and became champions in 2017 when they hosted the tournament. They also played in the World Cup twice they qualified for their first FIFA Women's World Cup in 2015 and in 2019, they reached the final but lost 2–0 against the United States. This also meant they could play in the 2020 Olympics, but they were defeated in the quarter-finals. Women's football was not allowed in many countries for a long time, and even when it was allowed, it faced doubts and criticism. However, the Netherlands team gained more fans after their surprising victory in the 2017 European Championship held in their own country. As of 27 March 2015, their FIFA ranking is 12.