Despite finishing in the top four of the 32-team FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Matildas have dropped out of the top 10 of the world rankings.
Australia’s loss to Sweden in the bronze medal match continues to haunt them, with the 2-0 loss being responsible for the puzzling drop from 10th to 11th.
The Matildas broke new ground for Australian teams at FIFA World Cups, upstaging Olympic champions Canada and outlasting France in an epic penalty shootout on their way to achieving the country’s best-ever result at a World Cup – men’s or women’s.
But the loss to Sweden and their group stage loss to Nigeria have seen them usurped in the top 10, with Japan the big climbers.
“Beat three better teams (and) go down one. Makes zero sense,” one fan wrote of the Matildas’ drop in rankings.
The Matildas lost 36.81 points while Canada (10th) lost 51.50, Brazil (ninth) lost 45.89, and Japan (eighth) gained 44.67.
Just as puzzling, Spain, after winning the tournament, climb only to second in the rankings, while Sweden have taken top spot off USA, who have dropped to third.
Spain would have clinched the No.1 ranking had they not missed out on the 35 points on offer in their heavy 4-0 defeat to Japan in their final group-stage game.
It means Sweden has sat atop the rankings for the first time ever.
Other movers in the leading pack include the Netherlands, who have moved from ninth to seventh and Germany, whose failure to get out of the group stage cost them four spots, moving from second to sixth.
Morocco made the biggest jump, moving up 14 spots to 58th.
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