USWNT's World Cup triumph secures biggest ever FIFA rankings lead

Joe Wright

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USWNT's World Cup triumph secures biggest ever FIFA rankings lead image

The United States has opened up the biggest gap at the top of the women's FIFA rankings in history following its World Cup triumph.

Jill Ellis' side won its second consecutive title Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Netherlands in the final in Lyon.

The Americans remain in first place in the international standings but now boast a record gap of 121 points over second-place Germany, which lost to Sweden in the quarterfinals.

Runner-up the Netherlands is up five places to third, its best ever position, while bronze medalist Sweden climbs three places to sixth.

France stays fourth, with England, beaten by the U.S. in the semifinals and then Sweden in the third-place match, slips two places to fifth.

The biggest movers are the Philippines (67th place, up seven) and India (57th place, up six), who are rewarded for strong showings in qualifying for next year's Olympic Games.

The list now comprises 158 teams, up from 155, which is also an all-time record.

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.