The first Women’s Rugby World Cup was held in Wales in 1991.
The tournament took place from 6 to 14 April 1991, with matches staged at venues across Wales. Twelve teams participated, representing the first major global championship specifically for women’s fifteen-a-side rugby union.
The United States won the title by defeating England 19–6 in the final at Cardiff Arms Park. The event was initially organised independently rather than directly by the International Rugby Board, which later became World Rugby. The governing body eventually recognised the tournament retrospectively.
The competition helped establish a regular international pathway for women’s rugby. It was called the Women’s Rugby World Cup from its first edition, although later editions became increasingly formalised under World Rugby administration. The 1991 tournament is therefore distinct from the later 1994 event, which was the first edition directly sanctioned by the international governing body.