The United States was on top when FIFA on Wednesday unveiled its first ranking of women's national soccer teams and the countries ranked second, third and fourth — Norway, China and Germany — joined the Americans as seeds for the Women's World Cup.
Sweden was ranked fifth, Brazil sixth, and North Korea, Denmark, France and Italy completed the Top 10 in FIFA's Women's World Ranking. A complex mathematical formula, involving more than 3,000 international results since 1971, determined the ranking of 108 nations, from the No. 1 Americans to No. 108 Cayman Islands.
The announcement of the rankings and World Cup seeds was made at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., site of the Oct. 12 World Cup final.
The U.S. women are the seeded team in Group A for the World Cup, which kicks off Sept. 20 in Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio. The Americans' first-round matches are slated Sept. 21 at RFK Stadium in Washington, Sept. 25 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and Sept. 28 at Columbus Crew Stadium.
The World Cup draw, to be held Thursday at the Home Depot Center, will place the other seeds in group and draw the remaining 12 clubs into the four groups.
The pots for the draw:
Pot 1 (seeds) — United States, Norway, Germany, China.
Pot 2 (Africa/South America) — Argentina, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria.
Pot 3 (Europe) — France, Russia, Sweden.
Pot 4 (Asia/Oceania/CONCACAF) — Australia, Canada, Japan, North Korea, South Korea.
Each group will receive one Asian team, so China will be grouped with either Australia or Canada from the five-nation fifth pot. The other will be placed in either Norway's or Germany's group, whichever isn't grouped with a European team from Pot 3.
The easiest possible draw for the United States would likely be Russia, Argentina and South Korea. The toughest likely would be Sweden, Brazil and North Korea.
The rankings of World Cup qualifiers not in the Top 10:
11. Russia
12. Canada
14. Japan
15. Australia
23. Nigeria
25. South Korea
35. Argentina
53. Ghana