Olympic champion USA returns to number one in world rankings – France falls

Mallory Swanson stunned USA to gold in the final against Brazil
Imago/Aflosport

Thanks to their victory in the women's Olympic soccer tournament in Paris 2024, the United States has returned to No. 1 in the FIFA world rankings. With a narrow final victory over Brazil (1-0), which brought them their fifth Olympic victory, the Americans regained the gold medal twelve years after their last victory at the Olympic Games in London.

Worst job opportunity in five years

France suffered a major defeat at this Olympic football tournament, dropping eight places to 10th after a disappointing quarter-final exit against Brazil (0-1) dashed its hopes of winning games on home soil. The last time the French were so bad was in September 2019.

Germany has not changed

England finished second behind the United States, followed by Spain, who were knocked out of the top spot after two bitter defeats in Paris – a semi-final against Brazil and a third-place finish against Germany. DFB Women remain in 4th place after winning the bronze medal against Spain (1-0).

For the first time, Liechtenstein is also represented in the FIFA World Rankings, ranked 187th after two games against Namibia. This means there are now 194 countries in the rankings – a record.

Six countries achieved the best rankings to date: Iceland (13), Colombia (21), Zambia (62), Solomon Islands (86), Cape Verde (130) and Central African Republic (144).