England women reach all-time high No. 2 FIFA rank under Neville
England women's national team has reached its highest-ever point in the FIFA rankings, landing second behind the United States on the heels of a runner-up finish at the SheBelieves Cup.
It is the highest-ever position for an England team, besting the men's ranking of third in 2012.
Since the appointment of Phil Neville in January, England beat France 4-1 and drew 2-2 with Olympic champ Germany before falling to the U.S. 1-0 in the SheBelieves Cup final in Orlando, Fla. on Mar. 7. The Lionesses bumped Germany to third to become Europe's highest-ranking side, knocking Die Nationalelf out of the top two for the first time since 2009.
| Pos. | Team | Confed. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | CONCACAF |
| 2 | England | UEFA |
| 3 | Germany | UEFA |
| 4 | Canada | CONCACAF |
| 5 | France | UEFA |
| 6 | Australia | AFC |
| 7 | Netherlands | UEFA |
| 8 | Brazil | CONMEBOL |
| 9 | Sweden | UEFA |
| 10 | Korea DPR | AFC |
Neville, who took over for interim boss Mo Marley after Mark Sampson was sacked in September for "inappropriate and unacceptable" behaviour, has credited the disgraced former Lionesses manager for England's current form.
"I've been lucky," Neville told the BBC in January. "The previous manager left me with brilliant foundations. I've just come in and challenged them to do things better than they have done before and they've taken that challenge on."
The FIFA rankings were introduced in 1992, with the women's version unveiled in 2003.