USWNT returns to top of FIFA world rankings after Olympic gold

The USWNT has returned to the top of FIFA’s world rankings following a 12-month absence after winning Olympic gold in Paris.

The U.S. has risen from fifth to the top of the rankings to replace World Cup winners Spain, who drop to third after finishing fourth at the Games.

England climbs from third to second and Germany, bronze medal winners in Paris, remains fourth.

France has dropped the most places, falling from second to 10th after an Olympic quarter-final defeat to Brazil.

Sweden has moved up one place to complete the top five and Canada has risen from eighth to sixth.

The U.S. was knocked off the top spot of FIFA’s world rankings last August following a last-16 exit at the 2023 World Cup, marking the first time the team had not been the world’s top ranked side since March 2017.

In March, the U.S. dropped to fourth, the first time the team had fallen out of the top three since the establishment of the rankings in 2003, before falling to fifth in June.

New head coach Emma Hayes guided the U.S. to Olympic gold during her debut major tournament in charge at Paris 2024. Hayes’s side beat Brazil 1-0 in the final as the USWNT topped the Olympic podium for the first time since London 2012.

The U.S. is the joint-highest biggest climber in the latest round of FIFA rankings, alongside Ecuador and Nicaragua, who both have also moved up four places.

(Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)