Spain widen gap atop FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking, Malawi soar

With the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ on the horizon and several teams having already booked their ticket to the finals, the latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking has been released following 183 matches in the most recent international windows, which featured qualifiers for Brazil 2027 in Europe and Africa, plus CAF Olympic preliminaries and a host of friendlies.

Spain (1^st) have tightened their grip on top spot following back-to-back away meetings with theUSA (2^nd). La Roja triumphed in the first showdown, and although the sides could not be separated in the second, a win and a draw was enough to see the European heavyweights extend their advantage at the summit to almost 80 points. Germany (3^rd) complete the podium having won both of their home friendlies to make up ground on the Stars and Stripes.

The only change amongst the top 10 is the return ofDenmark (10^th, up 2), who recorded a win and a draw away to Canada (9^th) and now find themselves a few points ahead of the Netherlands (11^th, down 1) and DPR Korea (12^th, down 1). This marks the Scandinavians’ first appearance in the top 10 since August 2010.

The 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which took place in July and August, has had the biggest influence on this update to the ranking. Indeed, one African side stand out from the rest: Malawi (104^th, up 49). Having reached the final of the continental showpiece, secured their historic qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 and racked up a range of incredible victories both at Africa’s flagship tournament and in the Olympic qualifiers, the Scorchers have climbed a staggering 49 places and amassed a record 158.44 points.

Other CAF outfits, as well as a couple from the OFC and UEFA, have made substantial gains. The new African champions, Cameroon (62^nd, up 9), have taken significant strides, as have Tanzania (111^th, up 11),Burkina Faso (109^th, up 9) and Vanuatu (100^th, up 8), whilst Slovenia (36^th, up 2) can boast of having risen to their highest position to date, joining Malawi in doing so.

The upward momentum has not been universal across CAF, however, with three countries having tumbled down the standings. Egypt (113^th, down 14), who were knocked out of WAFCON after losing all three of their group-stage encounters, Zimbabwe (136^th, down 9) and Congo DR (114^th, down 8) are the three biggest fallers in the latest instalment of the global pecking order.

The full ranking can be found on Inside FIFA.

The next edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking will be published on 7 December 2026.

Credit: FIFA