Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious and longest-running women's international football events and has been nicknamed the "Mini FIFA Women's World Cup".

[1] The most successful teams have been the United States, with ten titles, followed by Norway and Sweden with five, and Germany with four.

The United States has won all its titles since 2000, including nine in thirteen years since 2003.

The Algarve Cup, as an annual event featuring most of the world's top women's football teams, has no parallel in the men's game, given that there are fewer professional women's leagues and thus fewer scheduling conflicts.

[3] If teams are tied on points, finishing positions will be determined by the following tie-breaking criteria in the following order:[4] The placement round is now as follows: