The 1st FIFA ‘World Championship for Women’s Football for the M&M Cup" was held in China in 1991, named after a sponsor’s candy because FIFA was still unsure about the women’s game and didn’t want to bestow the full ‘World Cup’ title on the tournament. It is now, however, considered the first FIFA Women’s World Cup, and subsequently is one of the US Women's National Team's four World Cup Title wins.

The games at this inaugural tournament were only 80 minutes long, presumptively because it was expected women would not be able to play the full 90 minutes. Despite FIFA’s continuing doubts, it was a huge success, with about 65,000 spectators attending the final match in which the USA beat Norway 2-1.