The latest FIFA women's soccer rankings dropped on Thursday, with Spain widening their lead at No. 1 after winning a second consecutive UEFA Nations League title earlier this month.
The USWNT held steady at No. 2, ceding 7.48 points after losing an October friendly to No. 22 Portugal before going on to secure four straight wins over Portugal, No. 35 New Zealand, and No. 13 Italy to close out 2025.
Elsewhere in the FIFA Top 10, No. 3 Germany and No. 6 Brazil both saw boosts after successful fall runs, while Canada skidded to No. 10 amid a recent five-match winless streak, with Les Rouges's last victory coming against No. 43 Costa Rica last June.
The biggest changes, however, occurred outside the top ranks, as No. 96 Nicaragua, No. 118 Burkina Faso, and No. 137 American Samoa all rose by 16 spots.
Notably, upcoming USWNT opponent Paraguay saw the largest drop in this month's Top 50, sliding five spots to No. 46.
Ultimately, as the USWNT battled to keep pace in a year of roster experimentation — and without a major competition on the team's 2025 docket — the many international competitions in Europe benefitted victors and challenged losers in this week's FIFA rankings update.
NWSL Decision Day is just around the corner, as the final 2025 regular-season weekend puts the last playoff slot — and perhaps a bit of Racing Louisville history — on the line.
With seven of the eight spots in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs secured, No. 8 Louisville can punch a franchise-first postseason ticket with a win over No. 13 Bay FC on Sunday.
"I think it's an incredible position that we're in," Racing manager Bev Yanez said last week. "It's a privilege to be in this position, and I think the reality is we still control our destiny, and that needs to be the focus for us."
If Racing's match ends in a loss or a draw, however, the No. 9 North Carolina Courage can sneak in with a win — leaving Louisville out of contention.
Louisville's playoff hopes could very well rest on the blazing form of USWNT rising star Emma Sears, after the 24-year-old forward registered a hat trick against New Zealand in a full 90-minute performance on Wednesday.
"She's got an instinct inside the box and a desire to score goals that you can't teach," USWNT manager Emma Hayes said of Sears.
Racing Louisville has finished the regular season in ninth place every year since the 2021 expansion team's exception, with Sunday offering the chance to change their fate.
How to watch Racing Louisville vs. Bay FC on NWSL Decision Day
No. 8 Racing Louisville will host No. 9 Bay FC in the 2025 NWSL season's playoff-clinching finale at 5 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on NWSL+.
The USWNT closed out the October international window in style, dominating New Zealand 6-0 to cap their slate of three friendlies with an emphatic win on Wednesday.
Forward Emma Sears tallied the team's first hat trick since 2022 in the victory, backed up by a brace from Catarina Macario and a long-range strike from Rose Lavelle.
"It's just about making the most of my opportunities, encouraging my teammates here the best I can, and just coming into games where I might be needed," Sears said postgame. "Whether that's coming off the bench, or starting like I was tonight."
Though the USWNT is the No. 2 team in the world, manager Emma Hayes pitted an inexperienced group against the 33rd-ranked New Zealand squad, starting three teenagers in back-to-back friendlies for the first time since 2000 — with the entire US starting defense sharing just 11 international caps between them.
Wednesday's starting XI averaged 17.3 caps per player, narrowly beating out April's Brazil-facing team for the least-capped USWNT lineup in 25 years.
That average, however, shrinks to just 7.7 caps per player without Lavelle, as the veteran midfielder and captain dramatically boosts the stat with her 114 total appearances.
"We're developing real competition in our squad," Hayes said afterwards. "Internally, the important thing for us is that we get to be ourselves, and we get to play the way we want to play."
What started with a whimper ended with a bang, as the USWNT's youth movement continues to force tough roster calls with a pair of friendlies against 2025 Euro semifinalists No. 12 Italy — not to mention next year's World Cup qualifiers — fast approaching.
The USWNT will close out their October friendly slate on Wednesday night, when the world No. 2 squad takes on No. 33 New Zealand in the team's first-ever visit to the Kansas City Current's CPKC Stadium.
The match presents an opportunity for the US to exit the international window with a winning record after splitting a pair with No. 23 Portugal last week.
"When it's a completely different style of play, and a new opponent in a new environment, that's another test for us," USWNT manager Emma Hayes said ahead of Wednesday's friendly. "But that's why we want to play such a diverse group of opponents all the way up until [World Cup] qualification."
After heavy rotation against Portugal, Hayes will likely focus on player combos in the New Zealand clash, further distancing the USWNT from Thursday's upset loss.
"I want there to be continuity, but there was a test for us in the last game that I think the team passed with flying colors," Hayes continued. "There will be changes [on Wednesday] for me to see where players who haven't been given a lot of minutes, where they fall into that."
"Having a three-game window allows a lot of opportunity, and it allows a lot of growth," echoed forward Ally Sentnor. "It's been really great to learn and grow with this group, and just ask a ton of questions."
How to watch the USWNT vs. New Zealand
The No. 2 USWNT will kick off against No. 33 New Zealand at 8 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on TNT.
The world No. 2 USWNT returned to winning form on Sunday, avenging Thursday's upset loss to No. 23 Portugal by capping the pair's two-game friendly series with a 3-1 victory.
USWNT midfielder Olivia Moultrie led the charge, securing a brace within the opening 10 minutes before second-half sub Sam Coffey flicked in a 77th-minute corner kick to cement the 3-1 scoreline.
"[US head coach] Emma [Hayes] said before the game, 'I don't care what the result is, but no matter what, I want it to feel like we played like us,'" said 20-year-old Moultrie postgame.
Hayes significantly shifted away from Thursday's struggling lineup, replacing eight starters and relying on a starting XI with an average age of 21.7 years old — including teenaged midfielders Lily Yohannes and Claire Hutton.
Defender Emily Sonnett captained the squad, and her 111 senior team caps singlehandedly outranked the other 10 players on the field, whose USWNT appearances combined totaled just 100 matches.
"You can't cut a corner to success, and you can't cut a corner with development," said Hayes, impressed by the young group's growth since falling to both Brazil and Japan earlier this year.
"I think last game was a blip," Hayes continued. "And that, for me, is not something I expect to be happening on a regular basis."
How to watch this week's USWNT friendly
The No. 2 USWNT will close out October's international window with a friendly against No. 33 New Zealand in Kansas City on Wednesday.
The match will kick off at 8 PM ET, live on TNT.
The USWNT is changing things up this month, announcing key roster shifts as injuries shake up the player pool ahead of the October window's three-friendly slate.
Seattle Reign midfielder Sam Meza has withdrawn from camp due to a mild hamstring strain, with USWNT head coach Emma Hayes tapping Kansas City Current midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta for her second senior national team call-up to replace Meza.
The 32-year-old earned her first USWNT cap earlier this year, taking the field against China PR on May 31st.
As expected, Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman is officially out after spraining her MCL last week, though there will not be a replacement for Rodman on the October USWNT roster, with injuries now putting the player pool at 25 — rather than the original 26 — athletes.
With the addition of LaBonta, the NWSL-leading Current's US roster count rises to four athletes, with midfielder Claire Hutton and forwards Ally Sentnor and Michelle Cooper rounding out the Kansas City reps on the list.
"Every player on [the Current] has a case to be on our team," Hayes told media last week.
How to watch the October USWNT friendlies
The world No. 2 USWNT will first take on No. 23 Portugal at 7 PM ET on Thursday and again at 4 PM ET on Sunday, before closing out the international window against No. 33 New Zealand at 8 PM ET on Wednesday, October 29th.
All three friendlies will air live on TNT.
The USWNT is getting the band back together this October, as manager Emma Hayes tapped a number of veteran faces in a 26-player roster for the team's upcoming three international friendlies on Wednesday morning.
The team's European-based players are stepping back into the spotlight, after Hayes chose to rest stars Lindsey Heaps, Lily Yohannes, Emily Fox, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and Catarina Macario during the summer.
However, sidelined Chelsea defender Naomi Girma will sit this one out as she continues to recover from a calf injury.
The roster also highlights the return of favorites Trinity Rodman, Rose Lavelle, and Jaedyn Shaw, as Hayes also calls up 24-year-old San Diego Wave defender Kennedy Wesley for the first time.
As next fall's qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup quickly approach, Hayes is narrowing the field from her previous developmentally focused roster-building strategy.
"I think this was the one camp I had to make some really hard decisions, and that's the place I wanted to be in," Hayes told reporters on Wednesday morning. "It's the build for [World Cup] qualification for next year."
With an average age of 24.6, the latest squad reflects the US's youth movement, though Lavelle's return helps boost the average international experience from 18.4 caps in this summer's USWNT roster to 27.3 appearances on Hayes's October lineup.
The October 2025 USWNT roster
- Goalkeepers: Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign) Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United)
- Defenders: Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Lilly Reale (Gotham), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave)
- Midfielders: Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Rose Lavelle (Gotham), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes)
- Forwards: Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Catarina Macario (Chelsea), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea)
How to watch the October USWNT friendlies
The world No. 2 USWNT will first take on No. 23 Portugal at 7 PM ET on October 23rd and at 4 PM ET on the 26th, before closing out the international window against No. 33 New Zealand at 8 PM ET on October 29th.
All three friendlies will air live on TNT.
Mattel is riding the women's rugby wave, with the toymaker celebrating October 11th's International Day of the Girl by transforming "a coalition of four powerful role models and professional rugby players from across the globe" into Team Barbie.
Earning the Barbie doll treatment are Team USA Olympic bronze medalist Ilona Maher, England's newly crowned Rugby World Cup champion Ellie Kildunne, 2021 Olympic silver medalist for France, Nassira Konde, and New Zealand legend Portia Woodman-Wickliffe — a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion.
Notably, the four new dolls will feature "an all-new body sculpt" to celebrate the strength of each player "with a straighter, more athletic torso, visibly defined arms, shoulders, and legs, plus sculpted core and back muscles."
"If sharing my story can inspire other young girls to believe in themselves the way I have, then I'll have truly made an impact," said Maher in Monday's press release. "Being part of Team Barbie is about showing girls that confidence isn't something to shy away from, but something to own."
"We believe that girls can be, and do, anything," added Mattel's SVP of Barbie Krista Berger. "By showcasing the stories of incredible role models whose confidence has fueled groundbreaking success, we're showing girls that the future of sports – or wherever their passion takes them – is theirs to claim, with Team Barbie cheering them on."
Women's rugby is having a moment, with Mattel getting in on the action following England's successful 2025 Rugby World Cup run, which drew record crowds and spiked global interest this summer.
How to purchase the Team Barbie collection of rugby stars
Mattel's Team Barbie collection of rugby stars will hit the shelves in 2026.
Angel City captain Ali Riley is calling it a career, with the 37-year-old defender announcing plans to retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2025 NWSL season on Tuesday.
"As I reflect on what this game has given me these past three decades, since I started in the Palisades here in LA, I know that I have truly given my all, both physically and emotionally," Riley said in a club statement. "As a player, I strived to be the best teammate, a positive influence in the locker room, and compete on the field every day. For my entire career, I never took a day when I got to play soccer for granted."
"Ali Riley is Angel City. Her heart, grit, and unwavering commitment to lifting everyone around her have shaped the culture of this club," said ACFC CEO and co-founder Julie Uhrman. "Ali has shown us that leadership goes far beyond the pitch; it's in how you care for others, how you show up."
Exiting the global stage after five World Cups and four Olympics with the New Zealand Football Ferns, the Stanford alum also helped pioneer the European women's game, competing in Sweden, England, and Germany from 2012 to 2020 before returning to the NWSL to join the Orlando Pride.
Angel City snagged Riley from the Pride before the expansion team's 2022 debut season, with the captain making her first 2025 club appearance in August after returning from a chronic nerve injury that sidelined her for more than a year.
"I am so proud to be able to say goodbye on my own terms, in my hometown, and know for certain that I am giving everything I have left to the people around me and the sport that shaped me," Riley wrote in her Instagram announcement.
The USWNT announced their 2025 season finale on Monday, setting a pair of friendlies against Italy at Orlando's Inter & Co Stadium on November 28th and Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on December 1st.
Facing the now-world No. 2 US for the first time in 15 years, Italy's recent run to the 2025 Euro semifinals shot them to No. 12 in the FIFA rankings.
"As we prepare for World Cup qualifying at the end of 2026, we want to play teams from all parts of the world with different styles and different strengths, so getting to play Italy, one of Europe's up-and-coming teams, will be a great way to end the year," said USWNT head coach Emma Hayes in a statement announcing the friendlies.
After an extended break following a series of early July matchups, the US now has five matches left on the books, with the year-ending Italy matches rounding out three already-announced October friendlies.
The USWNT kicks off next month's lineup with two matches against Euro 2025 participant No. 23 Portugal, followed by a third friendly against No. 33 New Zealand.
As Hayes's year of roster evaluation comes to a close, expect stakes to rise as the 2027 World Cup comes into sharper view.
How to purchase tickets to the final 2025 USWNT friendlies
Though a myriad of presale opportunities are available throughout this week, tickets to both the November 28th match in Orlando and the December 1st friendly in Fort Lauderdale will go on sale to the general public on Friday.
Tickets will drop at 10 AM ET online.