The FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup is an international association football tournament, organized by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), for national teams of women under the age of 20. The tournament is held in even-numbered years. It was first held in 2002 as the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship with an upper age limit of 19. In 2006, the age limit was raised to the current 20. The event was renamed as a World Cup since the 2008 competition, making its name consistent with FIFA's other worldwide competitions for national teams. Starting with the 2010 edition, tournaments held in years immediately preceding the FIFA Women's World Cup are awarded as part of the bidding process for the Women's World Cup. In those years, the U-20 Women's World Cup serves as a test event for the host nation of the Women's World Cup, a role similar to that of the former FIFA Confederations Cup in the men's game. The current champions are Spain, who won their first title at the 2022 tournament in Costa Rica. Qualification Each continental governing body has its own qualifying tournament, but Africa does not determine a champion. History 2002 The first women's world championship at the youth level, held as the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, with an age limit of 19, was hosted by Canada. The final, held at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, drew a surprisingly large crowd of 47,000 to watch the hosts play the United States. The US defeated Canada 1–0 on a golden goal by Lindsay Tarpley. Canada's Christine Sinclair was the adidas Golden Ball recipient, as tournament MVP, and the Golden Shoe (10 goals) winner. 2004 The 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship was held in Thailand. For the second time in a row, the current holders of the adult World Cup, Germany, won the youth competition. The Golden Ball went to Brazilian star, Marta, while for the second time the Golden Boot went to a Canadian, Brittany Timko. 2006 FIFA raised the women's youth championship age limit to 20 to match the men's, beginning with the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship, held in Russia from 17 August through 3 September. The competition was held in four Moscow stadiums (Dinamo, Lokomotiv, Podmoskovie Stadium and Torpedo Stadion) and one in St. Petersburg (Petrovskiy Stadion). Korea DPR won the final 5–0 over China PR. 2008 The 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's