FIFA have released the latest ranking in women’s football, and it sees USA return to top spot. The Stars and Stripes lost their number one spot for the first time since March 2015 in the last ranking, but the recent update has them back at the summit.
The 2015 Women’s World Cup champions returned to top spot thanks to four impressive wins in a row – against Russia (twice), Sweden, and Norway. They overtook Germany, who dropped to second.
Japan, the 2015 World Cup runners-up, fail to make the top find as they finish in sixth. Canada reclaimed fourth spot from England, whom dropped to fifth. Sweden are in ninth, their lowest ever ranking.
The likes of Tajikistan (108th) and Kosovo (109th) entered the list of the 122 nations for the first time, profiting from a recent run of competitive matches and friendlies. Eight teams re-entered the list, whilst three teams – Jamaica, St Lucia and Malawi – are no longer ranked due to “prolonged inactivity”.
Check out the top 20 below.
- USA
- Germany
- France
- Canada
- England
- Japan
- Australia
- Brazil
- Sweden
- Korea DPR
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Spain
- China PR
- Denmark
- Korea Republic
- Switzerland
- Italy
- Iceland
- New Zealand