On the eve of the Women's World Cup in Canada, Jacqui Oatley presents a history of the event told through the eyes of the greatest players in women's football. Michelle Akers, the star of the USA's successful campaign at the first World Cup in 1991, remembers the tournament's humble beginnings, while her compatriots Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain discuss their breakthrough victory on home soil in 1999. Kelly Smith relates her personal battles prior to her starring role with England in 2007, while Japan's Homare Sawa reflects on an emotional triumph just weeks after her home country was devastated by a tsunami in 2011. Plus interviews with current stars including Brazilian legend Marta, German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer, United States dynamo Abby Wambach and players from across the globe looking to make the headlines over the next month.