The new FIFA women’s world rankings are out.
And after a bronze medal win at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016, Canada has moved up six spots to fourth place – their highest-ever ranking. The U.S. still sit atop the rankings, followed by Germany, France, Canada, and England, who round out the top five.
This month’s Women’s Olympic Football Tournament accounted for around 40 per cent of the 63 matches played in the last two months, with many of the remaining fixtures being friendly games.
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Winning five of their six matches at Rio 2016, Canada not only matched their achievement of winning bronze at the London 2012 Olympics, they were rewarded with a massive 93-point increase in their rating to move up six places from 10th position. It is the first time that Canada have moved into the top five, surpassing their previous high of seventh place.
Canada’s fourth-place ranking was not the only notable achievement for John Herdman’s side.
Their 93-point gain sets a new record in the 13-year history of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking, surpassing the 87-point gain by Cameroon in July 2015 and the 80-point gain by Equatorial Guinea in December 2008.