After pursuing Olympic gold, the USWNT returns to No. 1 in the FIFA women’s rankings
The US women’s national team is back in first place. After a brilliant Olympic victory and the end of a 12-year gold medal drought, the USWNT has regained the top spot in the updated FIFA rankings released on Friday.
The change comes after the U.S. spent months at its lowest ranking since the system was introduced. The team dropped to third after an early exit at the 2023 World Cup last summer. This year they slipped even further after a number of unexpected losses, falling to fourth in March and fifth in June.
Before last summer, the USWNT had never finished lower than second since 2003, when FIFA introduced the ranking system for women’s soccer.
The #USWNT have returned to the top of the FIFA world rankings after the Olympic Games.
Plus: The Wembley match has now determined the two best-placed teams in the world. Spain is third. pic.twitter.com/WXToKMmWz5
– Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) 16 August 2024
Spain, who rose to No. 1 this year after winning the World Cup last summer, dropped to No. 3 after having to settle for fourth place at the Olympics. England are now No. 2 following Spain’s relegation, despite failing to qualify for the Olympics and having mixed results in UEFA Euro 2025 qualifying.
France, which lost to eventual silver medallists Brazil in the Olympic quarterfinals, fell further down the rankings, dropping to 10th place after being in second place before the Olympics.
For the United States, the return to the top is a confidence boost as the team continues to usher in the era of Emma Hayes.
