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| FIFA Women's World Rankings | |
|---|---|
| Name | FIFA Women's World Rankings |
| Administrator | Fédération Internationale de Football Association |
| Began | 2003 |
| Current | National teams |
| Region | Association football |
FIFA Women's World Rankings
The FIFA Women's World Rankings are a points-based ranking system for national teams in women's association football administered by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Created to provide an objective ordering of women's national teams for tournament seeding and performance analysis, the list influences FIFA Women's World Cup draws, Olympic qualification perceptions, and continental competition seedings such as those for the UEFA Women's Championship, AFC Women's Asian Cup, CONCACAF W Championship, CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina, CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations, and OFC Women's Nations Cup.
FIFA introduced the rankings in 2003 following calls from federations including the Football Association, United States Soccer Federation, CONMEBOL members, and Asian Football Confederation stakeholders after expanded women's tournaments such as the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2000 Summer Olympics showcased disparate team levels. Early iterations borrowed from Elo-style systems used by FIDE and statistical approaches employed by International Federation of Association Football consultants; federations like the German Football Association and Football Federation Australia engaged in technical dialogues. Revisions in 2018 and later addressed critiques from organizations including UEFA, CONCACAF, and national associations like the Brazilian Football Confederation and the Japan Football Association to accommodate increased match frequency driven by events such as the SheBelieves Cup and the Algarve Cup.
The current methodology applies a modified Elo-based formula influenced by models from World Rugby and academic research by analysts associated with institutions like University of Liverpool and Loughborough University. Points are awarded and deducted per match using inputs including match result, match importance (friendly, qualifier, continental final, FIFA Women's World Cup match), opponent strength based on existing points, and match venue (home, away, neutral). Calculations incorporate protection for long-standing champions such as United States women's national soccer team, accounting for tournament weighting similar to systems consulted by International Olympic Committee statisticians and technical committees from UEFA Technical Team and CONMEBOL Technical Department experts. Periodic updates are published by FIFA in coordination with data from competition organizers like CONCACAF and AFC.
Since inception the rankings have seen dominant periods by traditional powers including United States women's national soccer team, Germany women's national football team, Japan women's national football team, and Norway women's national football team. The rise of teams like Spain women's national football team, Sweden women's national football team, England women's national football team, and France women's national football team reflects investments by federations such as the Royal Spanish Football Federation and club development influenced by UEFA Women's Champions League. Emerging nations—Canada women's national soccer team, Netherlands women's national football team, Australia women's national soccer team, and Brazil women's national football team—have moved up the table correlating with professionalization in domestic leagues like National Women's Soccer League, FA Women's Super League, and A-League Women. Continental shifts involve increased competitiveness from Nigeria women's national football team and South Korea women's national football team due to youth development programs and coaching exchanges with organizations such as FIFA Development Programme.
The rankings affect seeding for major draws including the FIFA Women's World Cup and influence media narratives from outlets covering Women's football such as national broadcasters and publications in England, United States, and Brazil. Critics—ranging from federations like the Argentine Football Association to academic commentators—argue the system can overvalue infrequent fixtures and underrepresent performance in regional tournaments such as the Pan American Games and smaller invitational cups like the Cup of Nations. Concerns raised by analysts at institutions such as Oxford University and University of Liège involve match weighting transparency and the treatment of inactive teams, prompting FIFA to adjust parameters after consultations with confederations including CAF and OFC.
Notable milestones include the United States women's national soccer team’s long tenure at the top spot following victories in editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Olympic football tournament, and breakthrough first-time top-10 entries by teams such as Netherlands women's national football team after the 2017 UEFA Women's Championship. Historic ranking leaps have followed continental successes like Japan women's national football team winning the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup and Germany women's national football team’s dominance linked to European titles. Other milestones encompass first appearances by debutant nations in top-tier tournaments leading to ranking surges for federations such as the Mexican Football Federation and the Icelandic Football Association.
Category:Association football rankings