The U.S. women’s national team recently concluded its fall international window, which consisted of two consecutive friendlies against reigning world champion Spain on home soil that were destined to impact FIFA’s global rankings.

The Spanish powerhouse, ranked No. 1 in the world, was expected to be the perfect foe for the No. 2-ranked Stars and Stripes. A battle of the two greats and perhaps even a preview of the 2027 World Cup final next summer. At the very least, it was a chance for the USWNT to prove itself in the pecking order, a chance to put pen to paper and begin rewriting its legacy of dominance on the world’s grandest stage.

But if anything, the series proved how dreadfully far ahead Spain is of everyone else, including the Americans. Spain first defeated the USWNT 2–0 in Washington D.C.—the home team’s first two-goal loss in over two years—before traveling north to Philadelphia to nearly do the same thing. The late heroics of Mallory Swanson pulled out a 2–2 draw three days later, but the game was anything but level.

The reality of Spain’s superiority was something even USWNT manager Emma Hayes herself couldn’t deny. “[Spain] is the best team in the world,” she said after the second friendly. “... We’re still in progress.” To former USWNT legend Tobin Heath, the situation was even more dire, presenting a ton of “red flags” that the Stars and Stripes must resolve before the World Cup.

Whether or not the USWNT can actually rise to the talent level of Spain in just eight months’ time remains to be seen. But in the interim, how did the team’s world ranking hold up following the tough fall window? FIFA published its updated world rankings on Oct. 20.

World rankings will play an integral role in the Women’s World Cup draw this December, determining which of four pots each competing nation is placed into. The high-ranked teams are placed in Pot 1, while the lowest-ranked teams are in Pot 4. Teams from the same pot are exempt from playing against each other in the group stage, making it imperative that the USWNT remains among the very highest-ranked teams in the world in order to have the easiest group stage competition.

The USWNT’s Updated FIFA World Ranking—Oct. 20, 2026

Despite not earning a win this fall, the USWNT maintained its place at No. 2 globally; however, Spain continues to skyrocket ahead points-wise, while No. 3 Germany and No. 4 England have closed the gap to the Stars and Stripes.

FIFA’s world rankings are based on a intricate points system that does not just evaluate a team’s match results, but takes into account the location of those matches, the importance of them as well as the difference in world ranking between the two opponents (which are used to create predictions for match results). According to FIFA, the “very best in the world can have rating points exceeding 2,000, while the absolute beginners score around 1,000 rating points.”

Spain sits in first with 2121.50 points, as of Oct. 20, while the U.S. is nearly 100 points back with 2042.38. Germany is ranked third globally and snapping at the Americans’ heels with 2034.62 points, while England is not far behind in fourth with 2025.47. The points alone highlight Spain’s world dominance, while showing the precariousness with which the USWNT holds onto second best.

The gap to the top wasn’t always so vast. Back in June, FIFA’s last official update, No. 1 Spain (2105.36 points) sat fewer than 50 points ahead of the No. 2 U.S. (2057.92). Meanwhile, No. 3 Germany (2028.99) and No. 4 England (2027.13) were each roughly 30 points back.

In April, the gap to the top was even smaller. No. 1 Spain (2083.09) was less than 30 points ahead of No. 2 U.S (2054.65); however, No. 3 England (2038.72) and No. 4 Germany (2021.78) were still close behind.

FIFA Women’s World Rankings

This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Tough Fall Matches Impacted USWNT’s FIFA World Ranking.