MADRID: Spain, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and the UEFA Nations League 2024 winner continued to lead the FIFA World Rankings in women’s football, sitting at the top for four months now.
La Roja, which was in the middle of an off-the-field storm of controversy when Luis Rubiales, the then chief of the Spanish football federation, kissed forward Jennifer Hermoso, following the team’s victory in the World Cup final.
But the team has buried those memories to continue its menacing form, winning the Nationa League last month, beating France 2-0 in the final. It had already secured a berth in the Paris Olympic games, with a win against the Netherlands.
On the other hand, the United States Women’s National Team, the most successful team in women’s World Cup history, slipped two spots to fourth in the latest standings released the global body on Friday.
Defending European Champion and the World Cup runner-up, England, climbed to second after commanding wins against Scotland, Austria and Italy. Sarina Wiegmann’s side has scored 16 goals in the last four matches, eventually helping the Lionesses soar to second after nearly six years.
It also remains its best-ever ranking.
Mexico (31st, up 4) and Slovenia (41st, up 3) were the highest climbers in the top 50, though the biggest moves of all were further down the table. Zambia (65th, up 5), Puerto Rico (85th, up 18) and Kosovo (91st, up 9) each hit all-time highs, while Solomon Islands (88th, up 21) made the biggest jump of all, following wins over American Samoa, Fiji and Samoa. IANS
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