Spain still No. 1 ahead of USWNT in FIFA Women's World Rankings

The U.S. women's national team remains hot on the heels of No. 1 Spain in the FIFA world rankings for December, released Thursday.

Spain stayed on top after clinching the UEFA Women's Nations League title. After falling to Spain in the final, Germany jumped two spots to No. 3 behind the Americans.

The U.S. recorded a pair of friendly wins against Italy in late November.

England held onto the No. 4 spot with Sweden tumbling two spots to No. 5 after losing to Spain in the semifinals of the Nations League competition.

FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 host Brazil ranks No. 6, with France, Japan, South Korea and Canada rounding out the top 10.

Three teams from different continents were the biggest climbers this month, with each jumping 16 places: No. 96 Nicaragua, No. 118 Burkina Faso and No. 137 American Samoa.

Paraguay had the biggest slide in the top 50, dropping five spots to No. 46.

A record 198 teams make up the December rankings, with African sides Chad and Libya both making their debuts.

--Field Level Media