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England’s Lionesses are among the world’s elite
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Internationally, the USWNT are still the side to beat
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Lyons are officially the best club side in world football but only for now
At club level and internationally these teams continue to take the fastest growing sport in the world to new heights, pushing the boundaries and winning silverware by the plentiful.
Best Women’s International Soccer Teams
10) Australia
The Matildas’ slow-build to prominence enjoyed a substantial accelerated boost when they co-hosted last summer’s World Cup, reaching the semi-finals in the process.
Their journey, that included a thrilling penalty shoot-out victory over a side in France who were much fancied in the online betting, ignited interest in the sport down under and saw Tony Gustavsson’s team on the front pages from Sydney to Perth.
Whether that’s a high-water mark or the start of something special remains to be seen but certainly the latter is a possibility given the thousands of Australian girls who have been inspired to take up the game.
Not for nothing, the Matildas are also fronted by Sam Kerr, one of the greatest players in the history of women’s football.
9) Brazil
The Canarinhas have gained an unwelcome reputation for being nearly women in recent years, so often encountering misfortune at World Cups and winning the less desirable metals at the Olympics.
Yet still they remain a force to be reckoned with, re-entering the FIFA tip ten rankings these past twelve months with a young side determined to outshine their predecessors and go the full distance.
The post-Marta age of Brazilian women’s football looks full of promise.
8) Japan
For Brazil, read Japan then additionally factor in that women’s football is a very big deal in East Asia with a full professional league launched in 2021/22.
Many a football prediction tipped the Nadeshiko to reach the last eight at last year’s World Cup and they duly did that, delighting fans with their attacking mandate until exiting in close fashion to Sweden. One prominent pundit described them as a ‘joy to watch’.
Furthermore, even better things await them, this being a young side nowhere near its peak.
7) Holland
Oranje remain a technically skilled and eminently watchable outfit and that hasn’t changed even if results have gone against them on the biggest stages in recent years.
For that reason alone, they have drifted out to seventh in our rankings where previously they would have been much higher.
With the formidable partnership of Lieke Martens and Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema up front the Netherlands are an offensive threat but a failure to qualify for this summer’s Olympics has to count against them.
6) France
With the explosive and exceptional Kadidiatou Diani in attack supplemented by the emerging Vicki Becho, Les Bleues have the firepower to trouble the great and the good, while elsewhere theirs is a team sprinkled with genuine quality, mainly sourced from an all-conquering Lyon side.
Yet continually, a last four spot in a major tournament deserts them, last summer’s penalty trauma at the hands of host nation Australia the latest example of an if-only.
This summer’s Olympics being held in France naturally makes 2024 a huge year for Herve Renard’s side.
5) Sweden
Whether it’s the World Cup, Euros or Olympics, the Blågult are always in the mix, as illustrated by semi-final appearances at the last three major tournaments and reaching – but alas losing – the last two Olympic finals.
In the latter of the latter, Peter Gerhardsson’s side can count themselves unlucky not to grab gold, committing 30 shots on Canada’s goal to no avail.
Blessed with outstanding talents such as Stina Blackstenius, and with a recent Algarve Cup success as a reminder of their capacity for brilliance, the Swedes has consistently been one of the best international sides around for a decade and more.
4) Germany
The two-time World Champions have barely a handful of their squad plying their trade overseas which illustrates the strength of the Frauen-Bundesliga.
It is their international exploits however that has really elevated the profile of the sport, courtesy of German legend Birgit Prinz and in recent times Alexandra Popp, the latter taking on the mantel of national heroine.
3) England
Success in the SheBelieves Cup in 2019 acted as a springboard for the Lionesses but if this instilled belief into the squad the seismic changes came later, when Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman was appointed in 2021.
A new, exciting dawn saw Beth Mead and company secure a famous Euros triumph at Wembley and this game-shifting achievement – that propelled women’s football into the mainstream in the UK – was soon followed up by last summer’s World Cup adventure.
England’s closely-fought defeat to Spain in the final was watched by 14.8 million, broadcast simultaneously on BBC1 and ITV.
2) Spain
The reigning world champions have benefited hugely by having the nucleus of Barcelona’s formidable dream-team, not least Aitana Bonmati pulling the strings in their midfield, the recent Ballon d’Or winner instrumental in Spain’s dramatic rise.
Ahead of the balletic 26-year-old, Salma Paralluelo scores goals for fun and it’s a testament to La Roja’s ridiculous strength in depth that they attained a world crown in 2023 minus Mapi Leon, arguably the best defender on the planet.
What we’re witnessing is a golden generation who are proving time and again why there is only one other team who inhabit their stratosphere.
1) USA
And that team is the USWNT.
Their shock last 16 exit at the World Cup was seen as the closing of a chapter for a number of household names who have come to define the international game. Meghan Rapinoe has retired. Alex Morgan is unlikely to add to her 221 caps.
Within that vacuum has come a period of struggle but for so long now the USWNT has been the dominant force in women’s football – winning four Olympic gold medals and more World Cups than any other nation – that it’s unimaginable that the new crop, under incoming boss Emma Hayes, don’t emerge soon and rule the roost again.
So let’s get ahead of the curve and maintain them at number one, even if just this week their world ranking has plummeted to a record low of fourth.
When it comes to women’s football, write off the USA at your peril.
Best Women’s Soccer Club Teams
10) Paris Saint Germain
Founded in 1971, PSG Feminine have been at the forefront of the game throughout its duration and growth, but of course major investment into the club from Qatar has propelled them into another orbit altogether in recent years.
Even so, their vast resources are not enough to match Lyon domestically though any encounters with them in the Champions League are usually box-office.
9) AS Roma
Founded in 2018, Roma were one of the big stories of 2022/23, winning their first Serie A title and progressing through to the quarter-finals in the Champions League.
They may not be in possession of the highest paid female footballers around but theirs is a group effort, forged on no little quality. La Lupa are a team to watch going forward.
8) Bayern Munich
After a five-year absence, the Bundesliga crown was brought back to Bavaria in 2020/21, with a fourth title sewn up last season.
Almost as meaningfully, another quarter final appearance was made in the Champions League, the sixth consecutive campaign where Bayern have made at least the last eight.
With Klara Burl and Pernille Harder doing the damage in the final third, and Georgia Stanway scavenging in midfield, whisper it quietly but the swagger is returning to the Bayern Campus.
7) SL Benfica
As Aguias are only seven years old but already they have snagged three consecutive league titles, their eminent name acting as a lure for promising young Portuguese players.
In two of those seasons a domestic double was secured and should they continue on this sharp trajectory it won’t be long before Filipa Patao’s side are holding their own in the Champions League.
In 2022/23 a cruel group draw had them outclassed by Bayern and Barcelona but lessons will have been learnt.
6) Real Madrid
For a good spell it seemed like Real Madrid Feminino were destined to dwell firmly in Barcelona’s shadow, an also-ran if that can dared be said of any club that boasts such a famous name.
Yet in recent seasons a series of shrewd purchase has resulted in Las Blancas closing the gap on their sublime rivals, as much as is humanly possible at least.
Last term’s output is a case in point, Madrid losing only three games all campaign only to still finish runner-up. Pertinently, two of those losses were against Barca.
5) VfL Wolfsburg
In the last decade Die Wölfinnen have dominated German football with multiple league titles definitive proof of that. Reaching six Champions League finals meanwhile – triumphing in two of them – has them pegged as a genuine European giant.
A lethal front partnership of Polish striker Ewa Pajor and Alexandra Popp routinely terrorise rearguards but it’s from Lena Oberdorf and Lena Lattwein’s midfield orchestration where Wolfsburg really take full advantage.
4) Chelsea
Tactically adroit and always on the front foot, the Blues have proven far too strong for their English peers under Emma Hayes.
It will be fascinating therefore to see how they fare from next season on, this being Hayes’ last year in charge before moving to the States.
Five WSL titles in the last six years exactly mirrors the league achievements of Manchester City in the men’s game, and once again this term Chelsea are short-priced in the football bets, topping the table several months in.
3) Corinthians
Founded 27 years ago, Sport Club Corinthians Paulista Futebol Feminino have claimed the last four Campeonato Brasileiro titles, their side containing several key members of the national team.
By some distance the most successful South American outfit, what they’re building at the Stadio Parque Sao Jorge is little short of a dynasty.
2) Lyon
Olympique Lyonnais have staggeringly won 16 D1 Feminine titles in 17 years, often transferring their imperious football to the continental stage for good measure. They have lifted the Champions League on eight occasions, an unparalleled amount.
All of which means Les Fenottes are historically the most successful club side in women’s football and with a magnificent spine in recent seasons of Wendie Renard, Amandine Henry and the eternally prolific Ada Hegerberg it was hard to imagine the relinquishing their stranglehold on the European game.
Certainly it was going to take a phenomenal creation to usurp them. And then that phenomenal creation came into being...
1/ Barcelona
A direct parallel can be drawn between Pep Guardiola’s extraordinary Barca, who changed football irrevocably for the better, and their female counterparts who did likewise some years later.
In possession, Jonatan Giraldez’s side are fluid and forever probing. Without the ball they press relentlessly.
But for all that their style and methods impress, it’s the sheer welter of fabulous players that Barca Femini possess that puts them head and shoulders above their peers.
At times during their ascendancy the illustrious likes of Alexia Putellas, Aitana Botmati, Fridolina Rolfo have decimated all-comers in the league, racking up record point hauls, while last term they secured a second Champions League success.
It would take a very brave punter to back against this incredible outfit in the live betting. Or daft.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
