Because the summer season worldwide window closes and we are saying farewell to the 2025 UEFA Girls’s Euro, Girls’s Afcon, and the 2025 Copa America Femenina, it is time to crank up the warmth on the build-up to the 2027 FIFA Girls’s World Cup. The most important ladies’s event is ready to happen in Brazil, and a few nations have already secured their spots of their respective World Cup qualifying competitions, that are scheduled to start later this 12 months and conclude in 2026.
England prolonged their reign over Europe throughout their comeback run all through the 2025 Euro and are actually two-time Euro champions, whereas 2023 World Cup champions Spain needed to accept runners-up. The Euros delivered countless objectives within the group stage and excessive drama within the knockouts, with extra-time matches and penalty shootouts, together with within the closing, the place Chloe Kelly scored the title-deciding penalty. The U.S. ladies’s nationwide staff closed out their summer season early, with a five-game win streak, pulling off victories towards Canada, Eire, Jamaica, and China.
Whereas the United States, England, and Spain are likely to form a “big three” in the globe, in terms of groups sneaking into the rankings, any staff can problem one other. Nigeria reclaimed the title as Africa’s greatest with their tenth Girls’s Afcon title over Morocco. Brazil has already certified for the 2027 World Cup as host nation, however they’re nonetheless on the hunt for an additional Copa America championship, however Uruguay, Colombia, and Argentina are hopeful to disrupt Brazil’s run.
The 2027 World Cup is 23 months away, and prime nationwide groups are locked into preparations for the lengthy journey to Brazil. However the place do they rank based mostly on present type?
1. USWNT
The latest winners of a world event, the whole first half of the 12 months has been a flex for this system to indicate how deep it’s after the 2024 Olympic gold medal win. Head coach Emma Hayes has mastered roster pool growth and refining staff identification by prioritizing the gamers and the general long-term program objectives. The USWNT returned to world prominence with their top podium finish in Paris, and below Hayes, stay the gold commonplace for efficiency, attacking prowess, and now tactical capability.
2. England
There is no denying the unimaginable efforts England made to construct on their program’s historical past. Back-to-back Euro champions is a near-impossible feat for many applications, however not for the Lionesses. They confirmed off one other facet of their program with resiliency below supervisor Sarina Wiegman, and a reminder that generally glory comes with a value, as defender Lucy Bronze performed by way of a fractured tibia.
3. Spain
The 2023 World Cup champions needed to accept runners-up on the Euro, however regardless of the penalty heartbreak, their technical brilliance led the march towards the ultimate. They will have an opportunity to make one other assertion in the course of the upcoming UEFA Nations League, however their Euro efficiency confirmed as soon as once more they are a prime aspect on this planet. Their possession-based fashion with a midfield of maestros in Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas, and Patri Guajirro will hold them elite.
4. Brazil
The 2027 World Cup hosts are on the rise following their silver medal end on the 2024 Olympics. They handed the USWNT one of their two losses this 12 months, and are presently dominating the Copa America. The group is constructing towards a house World Cup as Marta’s presence remains to be an element for the squad, and her legacy is inspiring a brand new era of gamers. Supervisor Arthur Elias has his staff competing with their signature aptitude, mixed with defensive efforts.
5. Germany
It was hurdle after hurdle for the squad in the course of the Euros, however Germany’s pedigree stays. They discovered a option to the semifinals due to goalkeeping heroics by Ann-Katrin Berger and fell brief to eventual runners-up Spain. Though Lena Oberdorf has been sidelined as she works again from an ACL harm, Jule Model, Klara Buhl, and Sjoeke Nüsken stay gamers to construct this system round.
6. Sweden
Veteran Kosovare Asllani spoke up for her squad towards critics and oddsmakers who underrated Sweden in the course of the Euros, however sadly, the staff squandered a two-goal lead within the quarterfinal towards England, they usually keep exterior the highest 5 of this rating as nicely. Regardless of always being the impediment in others’ success tales, reasonably than having a trophy of their very own, they’re nonetheless a troublesome opponent who will stay a top-ten staff with loads of expertise within the pipeline with Rosa Kafaji and Hanna Bennison.
7. Japan
The Nadeshiko delivered an early loss to the USWNT and won the 2025 SheBelieves Cup earlier this 12 months. Their disciplined technicality on the ball makes them a difficult opponent to go up towards, and their capability to share attacking accountability presents a layer of unpredictability for defenders. They will solely get stronger as they combine extra youth to steadiness with veterans.
8. France
Head coach Laurent Bonadei made a press release together with his roster selections forward of the Euros, leaving off veterans Eugénie Le Sommer and Wendie Renard, and one other quarterfinal exit for France will simply imply extra questions across the staff’s capability in high-stakes tournaments. Laborious to depend out a staff with thrilling attacking skills in Delphine Cascarino, Marie Antoinette Katoto, and Sandy Baltimore, however consistency towards prime groups within the knockout rounds stays elusive.
9. Nigeria
A gaggle that prompted England loads of anxiousness and troubles in the course of the 2023 World Cup, regardless of being owed back-pay and an absence of assets, marched proper again to the highest of the Girls’s Afcon event this 12 months. Extra official, governing body-type rankings possible will not have an African nation within the prime ten, however that is not the case right here. There is no manner we may go away Africa’s powerhouse, the Tremendous Falcons, off the record. High of the equipment rankings should not be the one place the place they characteristic, and after lacking out on the Girls’s Afcon title in 2022, the group accomplished their “Mission X” for a tenth title. Think about Rasheedat Ajibade and Asisat Oshoala, and Jennifer Echegini may do with extra help.
10. Canada
This staff is sitting in final place and barely hanging on. They have a maintain as a result of they’ve nice gamers whose skills can decide the outcomes of video games, and the federation managed to rent a strong coach in Casey Stoney to begin the 12 months. However the reality is they are a staff that has considerably regressed since their 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal run. Stoney was vocal concerning the methods this system and gamers fell brief after their 2-0 loss against the USWNT in July, and the roster wants extra help in the event that they’re to enhance transferring ahead.
Honorable mentions
Italy: The roster confirmed important evolution below head coach Andrea Soncin. They defied expectations in the course of the Euro with a mixture of tactical consciousness and key gamers stepping up as they bowed out of the semifinals towards eventual event winners England. If they’ll work on defensive lapses and construct on their techniques, they may leap into the highest ten.
Colombia: Las Chicas Superpoderosas aren’t some imitation Powerpuff Ladies, however a bunch who’ve emerged as bona fide continental figures for South America. They’re presently on the hunt to take Brazil’s crown within the Copa America, and with Chelsea FC’s Mayra Ramirez and Actual Madrid’s Linda Caicedo, they may rival the crown and leap into our rankings.
Netherlands: The Dutch seem like an evaporating model of their 2017 Euro championship run. The roster struggled with its group of demise draw within the Euro, now their early elimination means the federation must get the subsequent teaching rent proper, as they’re going to must sort out questions round an ageing squad and find out how to rejuvenate the staff within the build-up to the 2027 World Cup, a full decade from their historic Euro title-run.