Despite losing three of its last four matches, the U.S. women’s national team remained atop the latest FIFA rankings that were released on Friday.
The Americans have been No. 1 since 2017, although the gap between them and second-place Germany has closed.
The USA lost at England, 2-1, on Oct. 7 and in Spain, 2-0, on Oct. 11 and then Germany, 2-1, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Nov. 10 before breaking a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Germans at Red Bull Arena on Nov. 13.
Germany moved up to second place past Sweden.
Sweden dropped to third, ahead of England (4th, -) and France (5th, -). Canada (6th, plus 1) are closing in on the top 5, while Spain (7th, minus 1) have lost a little ground.
Italy (17th, minus 3) did not had a happy end to the year, falling three places. In contrast, Portugal (22nd, plus 1) and Republic of Ireland (23rd, plus 1) finished 2022 on a high, reaching their best-ever positions.
Turkey (64th, plus 3) had the biggest jump in terms of points (+10.23 pts) and Estonia (91st, plus 5) were the highest climbers when it came to places. No side suffered a bigger fall in places than Montenegro (96th, minus 5).
A total 187 FIFA member associations featured in the rankings, out of 211 in all, the highest number ever recorded at the end of a calendar year.
The next world ranking will be published on March 24, 2023.
Click HERE to view the complete ranking.
Leader USA (unchanged)
Moves into top 10 None
Moves out of top 10 None
Matches played in total 48
Most matches played 39 teams (2)
Biggest move by points Turkey (plus 10.23)
Biggest move by ranks Estonia (plus 5)
Biggest drop by points Italy (minus 18.41)
Biggest drop by ranks Montenegro (minus 5)
Newly ranked teams None
Teams that are no longer ranked None