After a disappointing Olympics that saw the earliest-ever exit for the U.S. Women's National Team, the Americans have held on to the No. 1 spot in the latest FIFA world rankings -- but just barely.
In the new ranking released Friday, the top three is unchanged, but No. 2-ranked Germany are closing in on the U.S. after winning the gold medal in Rio. Germany sit just 25 points away from the U.S. after a 53-point gap in the previous ranking. The U.S. exited the Olympics in the first round of the knockout stage.
The USWNT looks poised to drop down to the No. 2 spot for only the second time since 2008 by the time Germany competes in the Euros next year. Meaningful games, like the Euros, are weighted more than friendlies, which are likely to be the only matches on the USWNT's schedule. In 2014, Germany knocked the U.S. down to No. 2, but the Americans regained their top spot after winning the Women's World Cup last summer.
The latest Women's #WorldRanking is out! Check out the top ten and see where your team sits.https://t.co/JozV43G2vH pic.twitter.com/asJiuONpog
— FIFA Women'sWorldCup (@FIFAWWC) August 26, 2016
Although the teams in the top ten haven't changed, Canada has shot up six spots to No. 4, their highest world rank ever. They won a bronze medal in Rio and have showed there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about the transition that lies ahead toward younger players.
The women's ranking comes out four times per year and the next one will be out on Dec. 23.
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