[15][16] In 1863, football governing bodies introduced standardized rules to prohibit violence on the pitch, making it more socially acceptable for women to play.

[17] The first match of an international character took place in 1881 at Hibernian Park in Edinburgh,[18] part of a tour by Scotland and England teams.

[21] The first winners of the trophy were Blyth Spartans, who defeated Bolckow Vaughan 5–0 in a replayed final tie at Middlesbrough on 18 May 1918 in front of a crowd of 22,000.

[22] The tournament ran for a second year in season 1918–19, the winners being the ladies of Palmer's shipyard in Jarrow, who defeated Christopher Brown's of Hartlepool 1–0 at St James' Park in Newcastle on 22 March 1919.

[23] At the time of the First World War, female employment in heavy industry spurred the growth of the game, much as it had done for men fifty years earlier.

[34] In Brazil, the Vargas regime and the military dictatorship legally prohibited women and girls from playing football from 1941 to 1979.

[35] Following the FA ban on women's teams on 5 December 1921, the English Ladies' Football Association was formed, with 58 affiliated clubs.

[44][45][43] In 2002, Lily Parr of Dick Kerr's Ladies was the first woman to be inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame.

[47][27] In 1970, the Torino-based Federation of Independent European Female Football (FIEFF) ran the 1970 Women's World Cup in Italy, supported by the Martini & Rossi strong wine manufacturers,[9] and entirely without the involvement of FIFA.

The final, also won by Denmark, was played at Estadio Azteca, the largest stadium in North America at the time, in front of crowds estimated at 110,000 or 112,500 attendees.

Players during that era included Susanne Augustesen (Denmark), Rose Reilly and Edna Neillis (Scotland), Anne O'Brien (Ireland) and Concepcion Sánchez Freire (Spain).

[67] A 2014 FIFA report stated that at the beginning of the 21st century, women's football was growing in both popularity and participation, and more professional leagues were being launched worldwide.

[73][74] Both national and international women's football have far less television and media coverage than the men's equivalent,[75] but also generally have far lower average attendances.

[76] Olympique Lyonnais main rivalry is with Paris Saint-Germain, with matches between the two teams sometimes referred as the "Classique féminin".

In 2017 both teams reached the Champions League final, with Lyon beating Paris after a penalty shoot-out and winning its fourth title in the competition.

The participation of Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic tournament was a bone of contention because England and other British Home Nations are not eligible to compete as separate entities.

Eventually, both the women's and men's Great Britain teams fielded some players from the other home nations, but without their associations' active support.

The Copa América Femenina is the main competition in women's football between national teams that are affiliated with CONMEBOL.

After the lifting of the FA ban, the Women's Football Association held its first national knockout tournament, the 1970–71 WFA Cup.

The final was an all-CONCACAF affair, with the United States defeating the host Canada 1–0 with an extra-time golden goal.

Brown University was the first college to grant full varsity level status to their women's soccer team.

The 1990s saw greater participation mainly due to the Title IX of 23 June 1972, which increased school's budgets and their addition of women's scholarships.

[110] A number of footballers around the globe wear a kit made up of a jersey, shorts, cleats (boots), and knee-length socks worn over shin guards.

In 2004, FIFA President Sepp Blatter suggested that women footballers should "wear tighter shorts and low cut shirts... to create a more female aesthetic" and attract more male fans.

[115][116] Since 2020, countries that have traditionally been stricter like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Mauritania, and Sudan have begun to develop women's football in order to raise their international profiles.

[119] In June 2011, Iran forfeited an Olympic qualification match in Jordan, after trying to take to the field in hijabs and full body suits.

FIFA awarded a default 3–0 win to Jordan, explaining that the Iranian kits were "an infringement of the Laws of the Game".

[120] The decision provoked criticism from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,[121] while Iranian officials alleged that the actions of the Bahraini match delegate had been politically motivated.

[123] Professional women's association football players have disputed several issues specific to the sport, such as disparities in compensation compared to men's teams;[124] insufficient pay to compete with other women's teams;[125] unfair or exclusionary financial terms of federation business agreements involving the team;[124] a lack of minimum standards in facilities and treatment, especially compared to men's teams in the same federation, league, or club;[126] reports of systemic gender-related abuse of players, including sexual abuse being ignored by league or federation officials;[127][128] and a lack of benefits specific to women, such as maternity leave and child care.

In 2021 and 2022, the NWSL was forced to deal with widespread reports of abuse, with some incidents dating back to the league's formation in 2013.