USWNT move up in FIFA rankings despite disastrous Women's World Cup showing as Lionesses remain fourth and global champions Spain take top spot

The USWNT recorded their earliest departure from a Women's World Cup ever after they were knocked out of the tournament in the round of 16 by Sweden. However, their strong performance in the subsequent friendlies and the third-place finish in the Pan American games ensured that they climbed up the rankings to the second spot.

The Lionesses held on to their fourth spot despite finishing as runners-up in the World Cup. They stood second in the UEFA Women's Nations League group stage after winning four of their six matches. Meanwhile, world champions Spain attained their best ranking ever by capturing the top spot. After a stellar run in the global tournament in July, they backed it up with strong performances in the Nations League to finish top of Group 4 with five wins out of six matches including a 7-1 thrashing of Switzerland on matchday four.

The other two teams in the top five are France and Sweden who are in the third and fifth spots, respectively.

Over 400 women's international matches have taken place in the past four months which is an unprecedented figure in an equivalent period.

In addition to La Roja, Philippines, Haiti (51st), Cambodia (116th) and Cabo Verde (131st) attained their highest-ever placings. Whereas, six nations were either ranked for the first time (Central African Republic and Macau) or reappeared (Korea DPR, American Samoa, Madagascar and Bahamas) in the world ranking, which took the tally of the number of teams listed to 192 – a new record. The next women’s world ranking will be published in March 2024.