Eugenie Le Sommer put the hosts ahead after nine minutes off a cross from Amandine Henry. It was a ferocious start on a cool, windy night at Parc des Princes, the home of Paris Saint-Germain. France is hosting all of the tournament's games, with the final scheduled for July 7.

Wendie Renard, the tallest player in the tournament, scored a pair of headers from corner kicks in the 35th minute and shortly before the halftime whistle. The 1.87-meter (6-foot-2) player, who plays for Olympique de Marseille at club level, is considered one of the best defenders in the women's game.

Skipper Amandine Henry sweetened the win by curling the ball into the far corner of the net in the 85th minute to score the host side's fourth goal of the match. The 29-year-old midfielder took home the Silver Ball Award at the last World Cup in Canada in 2015, honoring her as the tournament's second-best player.

Tickets were hard to come by for Friday's match, with more than 45,200 fans watching from the stands. France is hoping to mimic the success of the men's national team at the World Cup in Russia last year. They face Norway on Wednesday and Nigeria on June 17 before the knockout stage begins.

President Emmanuel Macron and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were in the stands to watch the game. Shortly before it began, Macron voiced support for the team on Twitter, using the hashtag "AllezLesBleues." Infantino is hoping the tournament will boost the profile of the women's game. Earlier in the week, he said the World Cup would lead to "an explosion of women's football."