USWNT drops to its lowest world ranking ever
United States players including defender Naomi Girma (4), forward Lynn Williams (6), midfielder Kristie Mewis (22), defender Crystal Dunn (19) and midfielder Lindsey Horan (10) react after losing to Sweden in the penalty kick shootout during a Round of 16 match in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
The United States Women's National Team is making history ahead of the Olympics, but for all the wrong reasons.
The four-time gold medalists dropped to fifth in Friday's FIFA Women's World Ranking, their lowest ever.
The drop comes following dominant wins against South Korea in Emma Hayes' first matches as head coach.
No. 4 Germany, winners of its past five matches, jumped ahead of the United States. These teams will face off in the group stage of the Olympics in Paris in July.
Spain remains the world No. 1 after its impressive 2023 FIFA World Cup win. France, whose only loss in that World Cup came in a quarterfinal penalty shootout to Australia, overtook England as second. Third-ranked England, which competes as Great Britain in the Olympic Games, did not qualify for this year's tournament in the Games.
While the USWNT should be disappointed with a historically low world ranking, it shouldn't come as much of a shock.
The past two major tournaments for the Americans haven’t helped their case. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals of last year’s World Cup and won bronze in the 2020 Olympic Games.
While it performed well against top-10 competition Canada, Brazil, and Japan in the 2024 She Believes Cup, the USWNT is 4-4-2 against European sides since the 2020 Olympics with losses to Germany, England and Spain.
Before getting too worked up about its current ranking, the USWNT must concede that the rest of the world is simply getting better. The quality of the European sides ahead of them is undeniable given their performances in Euro qualifying this spring.
The ranking could light a fire under the United States as the Olympics approaches. Hayes, the new manager, is known for her intensity and passion for the game. She has the next month to instill the right mindset necessary to get the most out of the group.
The United States and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Germany will be the favorites to advance out of Group B in Paris. However, Australia and Zambia can pose a real threat to upset them.
World No. 12 Australia will miss superstar Sam Kerr due to a torn ACL. She was sidelined for much of last year’s World Cup due to a calf injury, but Australia's semifinal run last year at the World Cup proved that it can be formidable without her.
Zambia, which posted its highest ranking ever Friday, is led by electric forward Barbra Banda, who’s performing at an MVP level in club football.
It can be easy for the USWNT to get distracted by the four teams ahead of them in the world rankings. However, the only four they should focus on are Germany, Australia, Zambia and themselves.
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