Canada remains unchanged at No. 6 in the latest FIFA women's rankings that see Cabo Verde and Saudi Arabia included for the first time. Canada forward Evelyne Viens (15) celebrates with Cloe Lacasse (20) after Viens scored a goal against Brazil during the SheBelieves Cup soccer match Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. THE CANADIAN PRESS /AP-Mark Zaleski
Canada remains unchanged at No. 6 in the latest FIFA women’s rankings that see Cabo Verde and Saudi Arabia included for the first time.
The top five is also the same with the U.S. on top, ahead of Germany, Sweden, England and France.
Some 112 international matches were played, including the playoff tournament for this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, since the last rankings were released in December.
The new rankings features 188 teams, which is 10 more than at the same time last year
Spain is No. 7 followed by the Netherlands and Brazil. World Cup co-host Australia returns to the top 10, climbing two spots, while No. 52 Panama (up five places) and No. 103 Kosovo (up eight places) also make moves.
In joining Panama in booking the last available World Cup berths, No. 21 Portugal (up one) and No. 53 Haiti (up two) posted career-high points totals in the rankings.
Cabo Verde, a group of islands west of Senegal in the North Atlantic also known as Cape Verde, enters the rankings at No. 133 while Saudi Arabia comes in at No. 171. The Saudi women made their international debut in February 2022 in a 2-0 win over Seychelles.
North Korea, which had been 10th, dropped out of the rankings due to inactivity. FIFA says its last game, for ranking purposes, was a 3-3 draw with Italy on March 6, 2019.
The next women’s world ranking will be published on June 9.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2023
