USWNT follows Olympic gold by reclaiming top spot in rankings after 12-month absence

The United States team players celebrate with their gold medals during the medal ceremony after the women's soccer gold medal match between Brazil and the United States at the Parc des Princes during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)(AP/Aurelien Morissard)

ZURICH (AP) — The U.S. women’s soccer team returned to the top of the FIFA world rankings Friday after winning gold last weekend at the Paris Olympics.

Mallory Swanson’s goal helped secure the team its fifth Olympic gold medal — and the first since the 2012 London Games — by beating Brazil 1-0 in the final Saturday.

That lifted the Americans up from fifth and ended a 12-month absence from the top of the standings.

England moved up to second, ahead of Spain, Germany, Sweden and Canada.

Brazil climbed one spot to eighth.

The worst slide belonged to France, which dropped from second to 10th. The host nation had a poor performance in the group stage and was then eliminated by Brazil in the quarterfinals. It is the team’s lowest position in nearly five years.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up