Women Football Standings: WSL, FIFA Rankings & Global Guide

Women’s football has never been more competitive, more widely watched or more important to the global football calendar. From the Women’s Super League in England to the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States, from the UEFA Women’s Champions League to the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the breadth and quality of women's football standings across every level of the game have grown dramatically over the past decade.

This guide covers the most important women's football standings right now, the FIFA World Rankings, the WSL table, the NWSL standings, the top leagues around the world and the road to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

FIFA Women’s World Rankings: April 2026

The FIFA Women’s World Ranking is updated periodically throughout the year and serves as the global measure of national team performance. The April 2026 rankings, published on 21 April 2026, show Spain continuing to lead the world as defending Women’s World Cup champions.

The top ten in the April 2026 FIFA Women’s World Rankings are:

Rank	Country
1	Spain
2	United States
3	England
4	Germany
5	Japan
6	Brazil
7	France
8	Sweden
9	Canada
10	Netherlands

Spain, who claimed the top spot in August 2025, maintained their position despite a defeat to England in World Cup 2027 qualifying action. England’s win over the world’s top-ranked side earned the Lionesses a one-place climb above Germany, moving them to third. Japan made the biggest positive movement in the top ten, rising three places to fifth after winning the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and claiming six consecutive victories in their qualification run.

Sweden suffered the sharpest drop among the top ten, falling three places to eighth after a difficult start to their qualifying campaign.

The rankings cover 196 national teams and use a performance-based calculation method that weighs results from major tournaments and qualifying matches. They directly influence seeding in competition draws, including the qualifying rounds for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Women’s Super League Standings 2025/26

England’s Women’s Super League is widely regarded as the most competitive domestic women’s football league in the world. The 2025/26 WSL season ran from 5 September 2025 to 17 May 2026 and produced a landmark moment: Manchester City ended Chelsea’s extraordinary grip on the title by winning their second WSL championship, their first since 2016.

2025/26 WSL Champions: Manchester City

City, managed by Swedish coach Andrée Jeglertz in his debut season at the club, topped the WSL standings from 9 November 2025 and finished six points clear of second-placed Chelsea. Chelsea had won six consecutive WSL titles, an unmatched run in the history of the competition, and were defending their eighth overall championship when City overtook them.

Arsenal finished third in the standings, 10 points behind City at the close of the season.

Top scorer: Khadija Shaw of Manchester City finished as the WSL’s leading scorer for the 2025/26 campaign with 19 goals, underlining her status as one of the most dangerous strikers in women’s club football.

Biggest attendance: Arsenal against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on 8 November 2025 drew 56,537 supporters, a figure that demonstrates how far women’s football has grown in England as a live spectator experience.

Since its formation in 2010, four clubs have won the WSL title: Chelsea with 8, Arsenal with 3, Liverpool with 2 and Manchester City with 2.

Chelsea also won the 2025/26 Women’s League Cup, defeating Manchester United in the final, giving the London club silverware despite surrendering their league title.

NWSL Standings: Women’s Football in the United States

The National Women’s Soccer League is the top division of women’s football in the United States. The 2026 NWSL season began on 13 March 2026 and runs through to November, making it currently in progress as one of the world’s major women’s football leagues in the middle of its campaign.

2025 NWSL Season, Final Results

Gotham FC were crowned 2025 NWSL champions, winning their second title. Kansas City Current claimed the NWSL Shield for the best regular season record, ending a 17-match unbeaten run that represented one of the standout performances in NWSL history. The top scorer for the 2025 season was Temwa Chawinga with 15 goals.

The 2025 NWSL season recorded a total attendance of 1,926,090 across 182 matches, an average of 10,583 per game, reflecting the continued growth of women’s football as a live event in North America.

2026 NWSL Season, In Progress

The 2026 NWSL season features 16 teams for the first time, with two expansion clubs joining. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the NWSL Playoffs, which run from 6 to 21 November 2026. San Diego Wave led early in the 2026 season standings.

Other Top Women’s Football Leagues and Standings

Beyond England and the United States, several other domestic leagues contribute significantly to global women football standings and player development.

D1 Arkema (France)

France’s top-flight women’s league, D1 Arkema, regularly produces UEFA Women’s Champions League contenders. Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon are the dominant forces in French women’s football, with Lyon having won the Champions League more times than any other club in history.

Frauen Bundesliga (Germany)

Germany’s women’s top flight has traditionally been one of the strongest in the world, with clubs such as Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt competing for the title each season. The German women’s national team’s consistent top-four position in the FIFA rankings reflects the depth of their domestic competition.

Liga F (Spain)

Spain’s women’s top division has grown significantly in profile, partly driven by the success of the Spanish national team. Barcelona, who have produced several UEFA Women’s Champions League-winning squads, and Atletico Madrid are the league’s major powers. Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor finished as joint top scorer in the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2025/26 with 8 goals.

NWSL Challenge Cup and CONCACAF

At international club level in the Americas, the CONCACAF W Champions Cup involves leading clubs from MLS and NWSL, giving North American club football a competitive continental outlet alongside the domestic standings race.

UEFA Women’s Champions League Standings 2025/26

The UEFA Women’s Champions League is the premier club competition in women’s football globally. The 2025/26 edition began on 30 July 2025 and concludes with the final on 23 May 2026.

The competition features 18 clubs in the main draw, representing 50 associations across UEFA, with the group stage followed by knockout rounds leading to the final.

Joint top scorers: Ewa Pajor of Barcelona and Alessia Russo of Arsenal both finished the competition as joint top scorers with 8 goals each, highlighting the quality of attacking talent on display across European women’s football.

Arsenal’s run to the knockout stages under their head coach marked significant progress for the club in continental competition, with Russo, England’s leading striker, central to their campaign.

The Road to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup

The next major landmark in the women’s football calendar is the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Brazil. Qualifying competitions are currently underway across every confederation, and the current FIFA rankings directly influence seeding and group allocations in those qualifying processes.

Key qualifying milestones by confederation:

UEFA: The UEFA qualifying competition for the 2027 Women’s World Cup runs across Nations League and qualifying groups. England’s win over Spain in April 2026 was a qualifying fixture that moved them up the FIFA rankings while also progressing their 2027 campaign.
AFC (Asia): Japan won the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and secured their place in the 2027 World Cup as Asia’s top performers. Their six-match winning run in the tournament drove them up three places in the FIFA rankings to fifth.
NWSL and CONCACAF: The United States and Canada are expected to qualify through CONCACAF’s pathway. The US remain second in the world rankings and is among the frontrunners for the tournament despite Spain’s current No. 1 position.
2027 Women’s World Cup host: Brazil will host the tournament, taking the game to South America for the first time. The event follows a 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand that produced record-breaking attendances and global viewership figures.

Betting on Women’s Football at 96.com

Women’s football betting markets have grown significantly in recent years alongside the sport’s increased profile. Major tournaments, WSL fixtures and international matches all generate pre-match and live betting interest across result markets, goalscorer markets and goals-based options.

At 96.com, you can:

Bet on women’s football across major competitions
Access live football betting markets during women’s club and international fixtures.
Build accumulators combining women’s football with other competitions.
Use crypto to deposit and manage your betting account.
Access all football markets from a mobile device

To place a bet at 96.com:

Create or log in to your 96.com account.
Deposit using a supported payment method, including crypto where available.
Open the sportsbook and select football.
Browse competitions and choose your women’s football match.
Pick your market, enter your stake and confirm your bet.

Final Thoughts

Women’s football standings tell the story of a sport in full growth. Spain leads the world rankings as defending World Cup champions, Manchester City have broken Chelsea’s long hold on the WSL title, Gotham FC are the reigning NWSL champions and clubs from England, France, Spain and Germany continue to produce some of the most compelling UEFA Women’s Champions League football the competition has ever seen.

With qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil underway, the next two years of women’s football will be as competitive and closely watched as any period in the game’s history.

At 96.com, you can follow and bet on women’s football and all major global competitions. Always set a budget before you start and treat football betting as entertainment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Women Football Standings

Who is number one in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings?

As of April 2026, Spain is ranked number one in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, having held the top position since August 2025. They are followed by the United States, England, Germany and Japan in the top five.

Who won the WSL in 2025/26?

Manchester City won the 2025/26 Women’s Super League title, ending Chelsea’s six-year run of consecutive championships. It was City’s second WSL title and first since 2016.

Who is the top scorer in the 2025/26 WSL?

Khadija Shaw of Manchester City was the top scorer in the 2025/26 Women’s Super League with 19 goals.

Who won the 2025 NWSL title?

Gotham FC won the 2025 NWSL championship, claiming its second title. Kansas City Current won the NWSL Shield for the best regular-season record.

Where is the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup being held?

The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be hosted by Brazil. Qualifying competitions are currently taking place across all confederations.

Can I bet on women’s football at 96.com?

Yes. At 96.com, you can bet on women’s football matches, including major WSL fixtures, international tournaments and cup competitions through the sportsbook.