Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Niall McVeigh

Quiz time: can you name these nations’ most-capped female footballers?

Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes and Jennifer Hermoso
Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes and Jennifer Hermoso have all won trophies for Spain – but who has the most caps? Photograph: Fran Santiago/Uefa/Getty Images
  1. Spain, the 2023 World Cup winners, are top of the world rankings. Who is their most-capped player?

    1. Alexia Putellas

    2. Jennifer Hermoso

    3. Irene Paredes

    4. Mariona Caldentey

  2. The No 2 ranked side in the world ... is England! Who has won the most caps for the Lionesses?

    1. Jill Scott

    2. Karen Carney

    3. Alex Scott

    4. Fara Williams

  3. Across the Channel to France. Who is Les Bleues' record cap holder?

    1. Eugénie Le Sommer

    2. Wendie Renard

    3. Sabrine Soubeyrand

    4. Sonia Bompastor

  4. The United States are No 4 in the world, their lowest ever ranking. Their most-capped player is also the record holder in world football. What is her name?

    1. Carli Lloyd

    2. Mia Hamm

    3. Kristine Lilly

    4. Christie Pearce

  5. Who tops the appearance list for Germany?

    1. Alexandra Popp

    2. Birgit Prinz

    3. Anja Mittag

    4. Ariane Hingst

  6. Which recently-retired Sweden player is Europe's most-capped international?

    1. Caroline Seger

    2. Hedvig Lindahl

    3. Nilla Fischer

    4. Kosovare Asllani

  7. Who is Japan's most-capped player? She won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball after captaining the team to 2011 World Cup glory.

    1. Aya Miyama

    2. Shinobu Ohno

    3. Kozue Ando

    4. Homare Sawa

  8. Which active Netherlands player is their most-capped footballer of all time?

    1. Danielle van de Donk

    2. Lieke Martens

    3. Sherida Spitse

    4. Vivianne Miedema

  9. Canada's most-capped player is also the all-time top scorer in international football. Who is she?

    1. Christine Sinclair

    2. Sopie Schmidt

    3. Desiree Scott

    4. Kadeisha Buchanan

  10. Brazil have recently returned to the world's top 10. Who is their most-capped player?

    1. Cristiane

    2. Formiga

    3. Marta

    4. Tamires

  11. Who is Australia's leading appearance maker?

    1. Steph Catley

    2. Sam Kerr

    3. Emily van Egmond

    4. Clare Polkinghorne

  12. Finally, who is Norway's most-capped player?

    1. Ada Hegerberg

    2. Caroline Graham Hansen

    3. Maren Mjelde

    4. Hege Riise

Solutions

1:A - The two-times Ballon d'Or winner has 113 caps to Hermoso's 111. Paredes is third with Caldentey the next-highest active player in seventh., 2:D - The midfielder won 172 caps and scored 40 goals for England. Jill Scott, Carney and Alex Scott are next on the all-time list., 3:C - The midfielder racked up 198 caps between 1997 and 2013 while playing mainly for Juvisy. The club is now Paris FC – and Soubeyrand is their coach., 4:C - Lilly made her debut in 1987 while still in high school, and went on to win 354 caps in a 23-year international career., 5:B - The striker won two World Cups and five Euros, making 214 appearances and scoring a record 128 goals., 6:A - The midfielder retired from international duty after the defeat to Spain in the Women's National League in December, having amassed 240 caps., 7:D - Sawa made her debut in 1993 at the age of 15 and went on to earn 205 caps and lift the World Cup for her team , 8:C - The Ajax midfielder has won 229 caps – and she is still only 33 years old., 9:A - The prolific striker scored 190 goals in 331 appearances, putting her six clear of US forward Abby Wambach., 10:B - The well-travelled midfielder played for 16 different clubs while amassing 206 caps for Brazil., 11:D - The defender has 165 caps to Van Egmond's 140, Kerr's 128 and Catley's 123 caps., 12:D - Before her brief stint as England interim manager, Riise racked up 188 caps between 1990 and 2004.

Scores

  1. 3 and above.

    Decent effort – a World Cup squad place awaits

  2. 7 and above.

    Well played – you're heading for a century of caps

  3. 0 and above.

    Hard luck – you're a one-cap wonder this time

  4. 11 and above.

    Superb performance – a statue is in the works

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.