PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 11: United States player Crystal Dunn presents player Emma Hayes with the Order of Ikkos during the U.S. Women's Soccer National Team's Victory Tour at the Team USA House in Paris, France on August 11, 2024. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images)
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Less than three months into her new role, Emma Hayes has led the newly crowned Olympic women's football champions back to the top of the FIFA Women's World Rankings, published today.
Just 63 days ago, the U.S. women's national team had fallen to its worst ever ranking of fifth in the world, below world champions Spain, France, England and Germany.
But since taking over as coach of the four-time world champions, Hayes has gone 10 games unbeaten, including six perfect victories at the Olympics. Those wins, especially two wins over top-ranked Germany in France, helped the team earn more than 70 points and propelled the U.S. back to the top of the world rankings.
LYON, FRANCE – AUGUST 6: Sophia Smith (number 11) of the United States celebrates a goal with Mallory Swanson (number 9), Sam Coffey (number 17) and other teammates during the women's semifinal match between Germany and USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de Lyon on August 6, 2024 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images)
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The FIFA Women's World Rankings were introduced in June 2003 and for the next two decades have been dominated by soccer's two biggest powers, the United States and Germany. Prior to the 2023 Women's World Cup, these two countries will be the only nations to top the rankings.
The United States held the No. 1 world ranking position for an astounding 5,715 days, compared to 1,701 days held by Germany, the 2003 and 2007 world champions. Prior to last summer's World Cup, the United States had held the No. 1 world ranking position for more than six consecutive years and had been ranked No. 1 for 75 consecutive months.
After their worst ever performance at the Women's World Cup last summer, the United States lost the top spot to Sweden, who were eliminated from the tournament. The Scandinavian nation held the top spot for 112 days before new world champions Spain took over for the first time in December 2023.
Spain were widely considered the favorites to win gold at the Paris Olympics, and in the process become the first world champions to win gold in 88 years, but after a strong start to the Olympics, fatigue from the European season caught up with them.
A draw with Colombia in the quarter-finals (which they won on penalties), followed by losses in the semi-finals (to Brazil) and third-place playoff (to Germany) cost them 79 ranking points, dropping them two places behind England, who did not compete in the Olympics but still had roughly the same number of points.
Elsewhere in the rankings, Olympic hosts France entered the Olympics as the world's No. 2 team but have been affected by poor performances at their home games, losing in the quarterfinals in eight major tournaments in the past 15 years and plummeting to 10th place, losing 91 ranking points, their worst position since 2009.
TOP SHOT – France's defender No. 7 Sakina Karchaoui and forward No. 10 Delphine Cascarino react after the end of the women's football quarter-final match between France and Brazil at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes on August 3, 2024. (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP) (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
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Their top nine finish comes in the form of North Korea. The Asian nation has not played a single international match from 2020 to 2023 due to its self-isolation policy during the COVID-19 pandemic and has played just four matches this year, with its last two coming against Russia, who are still banned from FIFA competitions under sanctions due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, European nation Liechtenstein makes its first appearance on the list after its women's team played two games against Namibia, placing them at 187th, a new record for the 194th country on the list.
