Mesmerizing photos of the Women’s World Cup, which was filled with fierce competition, talented players, and historic moments

• The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup came to a close on July 7 – the United States beat Netherlands 2-0 for the championship.
• The tournament was filled with talent, but it was also a giant stage for international female footballers who are fighting for gender equality surrounding the sport – that includes equal pay, exposure, playing time, and opportunity.
• The games were played in different stadiums around France, which proved to be an overall stunning backdrop for the tournament.
• Photographers captured everything from the beautiful views to perfectly-timed action shots. Take a look at some of the best photos taken during the tournament.
• Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more stories.

Former US goalkeeper Briana Scurry said that the 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament was like a tree falling in a forest with no one around. “It happened,” the 1999 champion said. “But nobody saw or heard it.”

In 2019, the United States Women’s National Team is making sure everyone hears them.

Team USA has been spearheading the conversation and leading a push for gender equality in global women’s football leagues. But while we’ve been hearing from the American women as they continue on their 2019 world cup victory tour, they aren’t the only ones from the tournament who are pushing for change.

Team Chile has been fighting for national recognition for several years. By 2016, FIFA had assigned an “inactive” status to 10 national teams across South America after they were neglected by their teams’ governing bodies – the status effectively revoked any world ranking they had worked to achieve, and this recent tournament was their first time on the global stage.

Teams under the Confederation of African Football have been fighting against a leader who has been accused of "corruption and sexual harassment." Teams Cameroon, Nigeria, and South Africa are all part of the CAF and participated in the 2019 tournament.

Similar issues stretch across the entire globe: Women's football was actually illegal in Brazil until 1981; some girls in the UK aren't allowed to play soccer in gym class, according to a 2018 article by The Guardian; Team Nigeria won the 2016 African Women's Cup of Nations, and they staged a sit-in at their hotel demanding "unpaid salaries and bonuses" after their win.

The list goes on.

As more and more national teams fight for equality, professionals hope opportunities for women to play - and subsequently, the level of women's play - around the world increases.

This year's Women's World Cup proved to be filled with talented players and fierce competition, and the tournament was an important moment for all of them.

Take a look at some of the best photos capturing mesmerizing moments from the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The United States defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the championship round of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Source: Business Insider

The victory marks the second consecutive win on this global stage for the US Women's National Team. While Team USA was expected to win the tournament, the scoreboard below shows the score of their mind-boggling blowout during the group stage round — which includes games played before the elimination round.

Source: Business Insider, NBC Sports

This World Cup was an opportunity for the US team to defend their championship title, but it also provided a stage for them — and teams from around the world — to fight for greater causes like equal pay and equal opportunity. The teams rallied fans and celebrities behind them.

Source: Business Insider

Photos from the World Cup gave us a peek behind-the-scenes at the champions' post-match celebration. This is how Team USA partied in the locker room after their win!

Photographers also gave us a fascinating view of what was going on the field throughout the tournament, too. That includes a closer look at how Team USA captain, Carli Lloyd, fought for highly contested balls.

That was far from the most intense competition, though. Photographers captured some of the most painful-looking moments of the tournament, like the time Team USA's Morgan Brian went up for a header against Claudia Soto of Chile ...

... or the moment Busisiwe Ndimeni of South Africa challenged Team Germany's Lina Magull for the ball and wound up on her back.

We also saw this head-to-head collision that happened when Marina Hegering of Germany went up for a header against Spain's Nahikari Garcia ...

... this break-dancing-type move performed by Team Scotland's Kim Little when Aldana Cometti of Argentina challenged her for possession ...

... another awkward twisting of limbs by Melanie Leupolz of Germany after she collided with Team China's Li Yang ...

... this not-so-fun-looking game of leapfrog between Tierna Davidson of the US and Daniela Zamora of Chile ...

... and the time Annette Ngo Ndom, the goalkeeper for Team Cameroon, got pinned between two of her own teammates while making a save.

There were plenty of impeccably-timed shots of high-fliers captured mid-air, too. This photographer snapped their lens at the perfect moment to get Team France's Valerie Gauvin hovering over the ground, perpendicular to Onome Ebi of Nigeria, who is also mid-leap.

Lucia Garcia of Spain was caught mid-victory leap as she celebrated scoring a goal against South Africa.

And one photographer caught Griedge Mbock Bathy of France almost perfectly horizontal in the middle of a bicycle kick toward the goal in a game against Team Korea Republic.

Nikita Parris of England took flight as she celebrated her goal in the early stages of the tournament.

Just as photographers captured players on their way up, they also got them on their way down. Javiera Toro of Chile challenged Sofia Jakobsson of Sweden, which ended in Jakobsson toppling over her opponent.

Alexandra Popp of Germany came crashing down over her teammate Marina Hegering after the two collided in their game against Spain.

Some of the photos have mesmerizing symmetry, like this photo from the Jamaica vs. Australia match. Steph Catley of Australia and Cheyna Matthews of Jamaica look like they're mirroring each other's bodies.

The same can be said for the positioning of Kadidiatou Diani of France and Sohyun Cho of Korea Republic.

Tournament photographers also captured some moments that showed the complete joy of one team and the deep heartbreak of the other, like this photo taken after the final whistle during the match between Team Sweden and Team Netherlands.

Team USA's Carli Lloyd roars after scoring against Chile, while a member of Team Chile looks defeated in the background.

Another photographer captured Jodie Taylor and Beth Mead of England celebrating a goal while the Team Argentina goalkeeper lays face down with her head in her hands.

Spectators can feel the energy after a goal or a win when they're watching in person or on TV, but some photographers were able to capture that emotion through their photos. We feel the excitement through this photographer's lens as Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter of Team Australia celebrate their win over Team Brazil.

And another photo has us welling up over the Team Brazil goal that took place earlier in the same game.

We want to scream out with Jackie Groenen of the Netherlands ...

... cry with this Team France fan after their quarterfinal loss to Team USA ...

... and rush toward Alyssa Naeher with her teammates after she stopped a penalty kick taken by England.

Aside from capturing the action on the field ...

... tournament photographers also showed us the beautiful views that surrounded the stadiums in France. This shot makes us feel like we're sitting in the stands at Stade des Alpes in Grenoble, France.

We got to see the stunning sunset sky outside Stade de Lyon in Lyon, France ...

... and the distant, snow-capped mountains outside the stadium in Grenoble.

The snow may make you think the teams were playing in cooler weather, but temperatures on the ground were actually climbing past 90 degrees. And we can see there was little to no shade on the field.

Source: Accuweather, Accuweather, ESPN

And rain wasn't out of the question either — it's hard to tell when it's raining on TV, but this photographer shows us just how hard it was coming down during the Group F match between Chile and Sweden in Rennes, France. The rain was so intense it caused a game delay.

Source: FOX Sports, Pro Soccer USA

Between capturing fan moments, like this Team Japan fan picking up litter among a sea of red bleacher seats after a match between Japan and Scotland ...

... and gloves to the face, like during this match between Team France and Team Korea Republic ...

... we think it's safe to say the photographers of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup are MVPs themselves.