Alex Morgan and her U.S. teammates continued to be No. 1 in the latest FIFA women’s rankings. (Andy Mead/YCJ Photo)
The United States remained atop the FIFA women’s rankings, which were released Friday morning.
There was, however, plenty of movement below the reigning world champions, especially in the top 10, in the first rankings released since March.
Germany moved up a spot to second play while France climbed two positions to third.
England dropped two berths to fourth place as Canada fell a spot to fifth place.
Japan, which lost to the U.S. in the 2015 Women’s World Cup final, leaped from 11th to sixth place after the Asian side dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in more than a decade.
Brazil moved up a place to seventh place after winning Copa América Femenina.
Sweden fell out of the top 10, stumbling two places to 11th.
With 202 matches having been played in the past three months, 25 countries returned to the rankings, compared to the March edition. Barbados (115th) made its first appearance and the US Virgin Islands (126th) and Curacao (135th) returning after a decade-long absence.
Newly ranked teams included Ecuador, Haiti, Jamaica, Indonesia, Algeria, Guyana, Cuba, Congo, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Ethiopia, Suriname, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, Bermuda, Barbados, Tanzania, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Grenada, US Virgin Islands, Uganda, Antigua and Barbuda, Curaçao and Aruba.
Teams no longer ranked due to prolonged inactivity wee Guam and Egypt.
