USWNT tops FIFA rankings as World Cup draw picture takes shape

The U.S. barely kept hold of the top spot despite consecutive defeats this month

The U.S. women’s national team kept hold of its top spot in the latest FIFA world rankings, despite back-to-back losses to England and Spain this month.

The October rankings had extra meaning as they were the final list before the World Cup draw on October 22. With Australia and New Zealand automatically seeded as host countries, the top six teams in the October FIFA rankings round out the eight seeded teams for the draw.

That means that the USWNT and the two host countries will be joined by Sweden, Germany, England, France and Spain in Pot 1 of the draw.

Spain’s win over the USWNT on Tuesday proved highly significant despite being a friendly, as it allowed La Roja to leap into sixth in the FIFA rankings, locking down the final spot in Pot 1.

The Netherlands missed out on being a seeded team as they dropped from sixth to eighth in the rankings, while Olympic champion Canada stayed in seventh — missing out on Pot 1 by one spot.

The USWNT’s streak of being drawn in the same group as Sweden will end after five consecutive World Cups. The last time the two teams didn’t end up in the same group was the 1999 World Cup.

As of now, 29 of the 32 spots for the 2023 World Cup have been claimed, with the final three spots to be awarded next year in a 10-team playoff tournament.

October FIFA rankings

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