Women's World Cup 2011: Power Ranking the Top 10 Teams
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa was a little dull, but the women should make up for that and then some. The 2011 Women's World Cup kicks off in Germany on June 26, and it should be a fun, jam-packed ride.
Unlike on the men's side, a few nations have dominated the FIFA rankings for years now, and the usual suspects will be back at again this summer.
Only three teams have ever won the Women's World Cup: Norway in 1995 and the US and Germany twice each. But there are plenty of other teams looking to make some noise this summer.
Let's take a look at the top 10 (out of 16) teams heading into the tournament.
10. England
1 of 10
The No. 10 ranked team in the world, England, is coming off two impressive tournament performances and is looking to go even further.
The women Three Lions made it to the quarterfinal round in 2007 after not qualifying for the previous two World Cups. In the 2009 UEFA European Championships, England made it all the way to the Final where they were beaten 6-2 by Germany (nothing to be ashamed of).
They sit in Group B with Mexico, New Zealand and Japan, and they caught a break facing the first two before they face No. 4-ranked Japan.
Led by the Boston Breakers' Kelly Smith and her 43 international goals, England needs to lock up their spot in the next round before they face Japan in the last group game.
That way, when they face Japan, they can go all-out and try to win the group, thereby avoiding host Germany in the quarterfinals.
9. Norway
2 of 10
The 1995 World Cup winners Norway were looking to get back on top after finished fourth in 2007, but they had downturn in fortunes under Bjarne Bernsten.
Under the stewardship of their first female coach, Eli Landsem, who replaced Bernsten in 2009, Norway have righted the ship after a stormy few years, and they won all but one of their qualifying games.
Being in a group with Brazil is never easy, and Australia is ranked No. 11, so Norway's second two matches in the group will be no easy feat. The first match against the up-and-coming Equatorial Guinea should not be overlooked, either, even though they're No. 61 in the world.
Norway has a tough road to the quarterfinals and would likely meet the US if they made there, but with their current form, you wouldn't doubt they could do it.
8. North Korea
3 of 10
North Korea doesn't have the strongest World Cup record, but their record in the Asian Cup has steadily improved, and they'll be looking to carry that over into their form in Germany.
They've never been ranked lower than No. 8, their current FIFA ranking, but they were given a tough group in 2011. They face No. 1 Team USA in their first match and No. 5 Sweden just four days later.
That double-header may be enough to make their final group game against Colombia a bit immaterial. But as is common in World Cups, two draws and a win may just get them through to the next round.
One thing North Korea does have is the backing of USA goalkeeper Brianna Scurry.
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7. France
4 of 10
This is only France's second appearance in the World Cup, but if they can carry over their form from the qualifying campaign, they will definitely be a team to watch.
France won all 10 of their qualifying games, scoring 50 goals and conceding none in the process. They went on to defeat Italy in the playoff to cement their spot in the 2011 World Cup.
Like in the 2009 European Championships, France was again paired with Germany, which doesn't make their task any easier. They also have to face Canada and Africa's top team, Nigeria, and come out on top if they want to make it to the next round.
6. Canada
5 of 10
Canada is riding high after winning the 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup and thereby automatically qualifying for the World Cup.
They scored 17 goals in all and conceded none on their way to winning all five matches, two against Mexico, and then learned they be hosting the 2015 Women's World Cup.
Canada has a lot to prove this summer. They are slightly overlooked in Group A alongside Germany, but they can definitely surprise a few people. They face Germany and France in their first two matches, followed by Nigeria in the last.
Group A has three top-10 teams and a very tough No. 27 in Nigeria, so this group will for sure send a very good team home.
If Canada can keep their defense tight against Germany in the first match and get a morale-boosting result that they can carry into the next two matches, this could be a dangerous team the rest of the way.
5. Sweden
6 of 10
On the women's side, Sweden is a bit like the Netherlands on the men's. They've been the runner-up once in the World Cup and three times in the European Championships. They'll be desperate to fix that, but they'll need to play almost flawlessly to do so.
The women's tournament fields fewer teams, meaning the group stage is followed immediately by the quarterfinals. Sweden is in Group C, which is led by the US and also containing a driven North Korea.
They should be able to win their opening match against Colombia, and if North Korea and USA were to draw that same day, the group could suddenly open up for Sweden.
Finishing as runner-up in this group would mean facing Brazil in the next round, so Sweden need to focus on beating Colombia and getting at least a draw against North Korea to give them some real hope in the final group game against the US.
4. Japan
7 of 10
Japan have been steadily climbing the FIFA rankings and currently sit at No. 4. They've only made it out of the group stages in the World Cup once in five tries, but they have the most favorable group out of the top four, though it will still be a tough road.
In Japan's group are No. 24 New Zealand, No. 22 Mexico and No. 10 England. They'll face them in that order and will need to start with a good result against New Zealand.
Mexico can be tricky and like to play giant killer at times (like they did to the US last year), and England will certainly be motivated in the final group game.
They're the reigning Asian Games champions, and they'll need to carry that over into Germany if they want to advance further than they ever have.
3. Brazil
8 of 10
Brazil is led by the five-time defending World Player of the Year Marta and are coming off their best-ever World Cup performance in 2007 when the were runners-up to Germany.
Marta won the Golden Boot as the top scorer in 2007 and the Golden Ball as the best player, and Brazil will need her to continue at her best if they hope to win their first World Cup.
They should not have much trouble winning Group D over Norway, Australia and Equatorial Guinea, and if all goes as planned in the other groups, Brazil should somewhat easily find themselves in the Final.
Of the top three teams, Brazil has the easiest road to the Final because if the US and Germany win their groups and quarterfinal matches as expected, they'll face each other in the semis.
But once in the Final, Brazil wouldn't be favored over either the US or Germany and would need a special performance out of everyone, not just Marta, to finally lift the World Cup.
2. USA
9 of 10
Team USA in ranked No. 1 in the world (I'll get into why they're No. 2 on this list on the next slide), and they've got a lot of wrongs to right from the past two tournaments.
Eight years ago, on their home turf, the USA lost to Germany in the semifinals. They'll be looking to return the favor this time around.
In the 2007 semifinals against Brazil, starting keeper Hope Solo was controversially benched in favor of Briana Scurry, who was the hero when the US won the 1999 World Cup and had more experience against Brazil, but hadn't played in months. The US lost 4-0 and had to settle for third place.
This time around, the US wants to erase all those bad memories. Solo will be between the sticks, 35-year-old captain Christie Rampone will anchor the defense and Abby Wambach and her 118 goals in 157 appearances will lead the line.
Team USA will face Colombia, North Korea and Sweden in Group C and should have a fairly smooth road to the semifinals, but that's where they will likely meet hosts Germany.
Germany and USA are the only two teams with two World Cups, and the US certainly wants to take their trophy back this summer and really reinstate themselves at the top of women's football.
1. Germany
10 of 10
Germany may be ranked No. 2 in the world, but they are also the two-time defending world champions (only team to do so), and this year, they're hosting the tournament. And just like their men's team, they are always one of the best teams of the tournament.
In addition to winning two straight World Cups, Germany has also won seven of the last eight European Championships, including the last five. They are the No. 1 team to watch this summer.
Germany faces two other top-10 teams in Group A, but they should not have many problems winning it and their quarterfinal match, likely against England.
After that, they could face a very tough test in the US in the semifinals, but being in front of their fans, they'll fancy their chances of making their third straight Final.
Captain Birgit Prinz is the top scorer ever in the World Cup with 14, and she and her teammates will certainly have the fans behind them for this one.
They not just one of the best teams in the world, but they also have a squad full of World Cup-winning experience and talent, and with their dominant performances in all competitions lately, they've got to be the favorites to take the World Cup for the third straight time.
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