The Germany women's national football team () represents Germany in international women's football. The team is governed by the German Football Association (DFB).
The Germany national team is one of the most successful in women's football. They are two-time world champions, having won the 2003 and 2007 tournaments. The team has won eight of the fourteen UEFA European Championships, claiming six consecutive titles between 1995 and 2013. They, along with the Netherlands, are one of the two nations that have won both the women's and men's European tournament. Also, they and Spain are the only two teams that have won both the women's and men's World Cup tournament. Germany has won Olympic gold in 2016, after three consecutive bronze medals at the Women's Olympic Football Tournament, finishing third in 2000, 2004, 2008 and won another bronze medal in 2024. Birgit Prinz holds the record for most appearances and is the team's all-time leading goalscorer. Prinz has also set international records; she has received the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times and is the joint second overall top goalscorer at the Women's World Cup.
Women's football was long met with scepticism in Germany, and official matches were banned by the DFB until 1970. However, the women's national team has grown in popularity since winning the World Cup in 2003, as it was chosen as Germany's Sports Team of the Year. As of August 2025, Germany is ranked fifth in the FIFA Women's World Rankings.
History
Early history In 1955, the DFB decided to forbid women's football in all its clubs in West Germany. In its explanation, the DFB cited that "this combative sport is fundamentally foreign to the nature of women" and that "body and soul would inevitably suffer damage". Further, the "display of the body violates etiquette and decency".Theweleit, Daniel. Mannschaftsporträt Deutschland . Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. 10 September 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2008. "Diese Kampfsportart der Natur des Weibes im wesentlichen fremd ist", "Körper und Seele erleiden unweigerlich Schaden", "verletze es Schicklichkeit und Anstand." In spite of this ban, more than 150 unofficial international matches were played in the 1950s and 1960s. On 30 October 1970, the ban on women's football was lifted at the DFB annual convention.Hoffmann, Eduard and Nendza, Jürgen. Geschichte des Frauenfußballs . Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. 1 May 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
Other football associations had already formed official women's national teams in the 1970s, the DFB long remained uninvolved in women's football. In 1981, DFB official Horst R. Schmidt was invited to send a team to the unofficial women's football world championship. Schmidt accepted the invitation but hid the fact that West Germany had no women's national team at the time. To avoid humiliation, the DFB sent the German club champions Bergisch Gladbach 09, who went on to win the tournament and repeat the same feat three years later in 1984.Hoffmann, Eduard and Nendza, Jürgen. (2005). "Verlacht, verboten und gefeiert – Zur Geschichte des Frauenfußballs in Deutschland", Landpresse, p. 48. Seeing a need, the DFB established the women's national team in 1982. DFB president Hermann Neuberger appointed Gero Bisanz, an instructor at the Cologne Sports College, to set up the team.Kittmann, Matthias. Aus einer Peinlichkeit wurden Weltmeisterinnen . Die Welt. 22 August 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
1982–1994: Difficult beginnings and first European titles In September 1982, Bisanz organised two scouting training courses from which he selected a squad of 16 players. The team's first international match took place on 10 November 1982 in Koblenz. Following the tradition of the men's team, Switzerland was chosen as West Germany's first opponent. Doris Kresimon scored the first international goal in the 25th minute. In the second half, 18-year-old Silvia Neid contributed two goals to the 5–1 victory; Neid later became the assistant coach in 1996 and the head coach in 2005.
With five draws and one defeat, West Germany failed to qualify for the inaugural 1984 European Championship, finishing third in the qualifying group.Season 1982 – 1984, Group 4 . UEFA. Retrieved 7 August 2008. In the beginning, Bisanz's primary objective was to close the gap to the Scandinavian countries and Italy – then the strongest teams in Europe. He emphasized training in basic skills and the need for an effective youth programme. Starting in 1985, Bisanz increasingly called-up younger players, but at first had little success with this concept, as West Germany again failed to qualify for the 1987 European Championship finals.Saffer, Paul. Norway victorious in Oslo . UEFA. 16 January 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
Undefeated and without conceding a goal, the German team qualified for the European Championship for the first time in 1989; the tournament was played on home soil in West Germany. The semi-final against Italy was the first international women's football match shown live on German television. The game was decided by a penalty shootout, in which goalkeeper Marion Isbert saved three penalty kicks and scored the winning penalty herself. On 2 July 1989 in Osnabrück, West Germany played Norway in the final. Before a crowd of 22,000, they beat favourites Norway and won 4–1 with goals from Ursula Lohn, Heidi Mohr and Angelika Fehrmann. This victory marked the team's first international title.Saffer, Paul. Germany arrive in style . UEFA. 16 January 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
After the German reunification, the East German football association joined the DFB. The East German women's national football team had played only one official international match, losing 3–0 to Czechoslovakia in a friendly match on 9 May 1990. The unified German team defended their title successfully at the 1991 European Championship. After winning all games in the qualifying group, Germany again met Italy in the semi-final, this time winning 3–0. On 14 July 1991, the German team once more faced Norway in the final. The game went to extra time, during which Heidi Mohr and Silvia Neid scored for Germany and secured the 3–1 victory.Saffer, Paul. Dominant Germany stride on . UEFA. 16 January 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
In November 1991, Germany participated in the first Women's World Cup in China. Following victories over Nigeria, Taiwan and Italy, the German team reached the quarter-final without conceding a single goal. Silvia Neid scored the first German World Cup goal on 17 November 1991 against Nigeria. Germany won the quarter-final against Denmark 2–1 after extra time, but lost 2–5 in the semi-final to the United States, who went on to win the tournament. Following a 0–4 defeat in the third-place match against Sweden, Germany finished fourth in the tournament.FIFA Women's World Cup – China PR 1991 . FIFA. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
The German team failed to defend their title at the 1993 European Championship, suffering a semi-final defeat to Italy in a penalty shootout, and later losing 1–3 against Denmark in the third-place playoff.Saffer, Paul. Azzurre left feeling blue . UEFA. 16 January 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2008. Despite the disappointing result, new talents such as Steffi Jones, Maren Meinert and Silke Rottenberg made their tournament debut and later became key players for the German team.Deutscher Fußball-Bund. Broschüre 25 Jahre Frauen-Fußball, Teil 2 . DFB.de. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
1995–2002: Olympic and World Cup disappointments Birgit Prinz scored in a major tournament for the first time in 1995. Germany won its third European Championship during the same year. After winning all qualification matches, scoring 55 goals, the German team defeated England 6–2 over two legs in the semi-final. Germany met Sweden in the final, which was played at the Fritz Walter Stadion in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on 26 March 1995. The Swedish team managed to score early, but Germany came back to win 3–2 with goals from Maren Meinert, Prinz and Bettina Wiegmann.Saffer, Paul. Germany establish upper hand . UEFA. 16 January 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
At the 1995 Women's World Cup in Sweden, the German team lost against the Scandinavian hosts, but still succeeded in winning their group by beating Japan and Brazil. Germany won the quarter-final against England 3–0, and defeated China 1–0 with a late goal by Bettina Wiegmann in the semi-final. On 18 June 1995 in Stockholm, the German team appeared in their first Women's World Cup final. Facing Norway, they lost the match 0–2, but as runners-up achieved their best World Cup result until then.FIFA Women's World Cup – Sweden 1995 . FIFA. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
Women's football was first played as an Olympic sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Bettina Wiegmann scored the first Olympic goal in the opening match against Japan, which Germany won 3–2. After losing their second group game against Norway 2–3, and drawing with Brazil 1–1, Germany was eliminated, finishing third in the group with four points from three matches. Head coach Gero Bisanz resigned after the tournament and his assistant since 1983, Tina Theune, took over as the new national coach. Silvia Neid ended her playing career and was appointed the new assistant coach.
The 1997 European Championship was the first test for new coach Theune. Following a defeat against Norway, Germany finished second in the qualifying group and only secured qualification by beating Iceland in a relegation play-off. After drawing with Italy and Norway, a victory over Denmark in the last group game saw the German team go through to the knockout stage. They beat Sweden 1–0 in the semi-final, and on 12 July 1997, claimed their fourth European championship with a 2–0 win over Italy, with goals from Sandra Minnert and Birgit Prinz.Saffer, Paul. German reign goes on . UEFA. 16 January 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
At the 1999 Women's World Cup in the United States, the German team also failed to qualify directly, but managed to beat Ukraine in a qualifying play-off. Germany started their World Cup campaign by drawing with Italy and winning 6–0 over Mexico. In the last group game, Germany drew 3–3 against Brazil; by conceding a last minute equalizer, Germany failed to win the group and subsequently had to face the hosts in the quarter-final. With 54,642 people in attendance, among them U.S. President Bill Clinton, the crowd at the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium was the biggest the German team had ever played in front of. Despite leading twice, they lost 2–3 to the eventual World Cup winners.FIFA Women's World Cup – USA 1999 . FIFA. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
Germany competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics, winning all three group games against Australia, Brazil and Sweden. The German team dominated the semi-final against Norway, but lost the game 0–1 after an own goal by Tina Wunderlich in the 80th minute.Eigentor verhindert Traum-Finale gegen USA . Der Spiegel. 24 September 2000. Retrieved 27 August 2008. They beat Brazil 2–0 in the third place match with goals from Birgit Prinz and Renate Lingor, and won the bronze medal.Norwegian Gold . FIFA. Retrieved 21 June 2015. It was the first Olympic medal for the German Football Associations since 1988 when the men's team also won bronze.Seoul, 1988 . FIFA. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
In 2001, Germany hosted the European Championship. Following victories over Sweden, Russia and England in the group stage, the German team beat Norway 1–0 in the semi-final courtesy of a diving header by Sandra Smisek. On 7 July 2001 in Ulm, they met Sweden in the final, which was played in heavy rain. The game was scoreless after 90 minutes and went to extra time, where Claudia Müller scored a golden goal and secured the fifth European title for Germany.Saffer, Paul. Müller magic seals success . UEFA. 16 January 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
2003–2023: Two consecutive World Cup titles