- Spain and FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí ranked No. 1 for the second-straight year
- Players from the national teams of Spain and the United States of America dominate the rankings
- Special edition of Futbol W with Ali Krieger on the rankings; Interview with top-ranked Bonmatí
ESPN.com, the leading digital platform for soccer news, information, and analysis, unveiled its fourth annual “ESPN FC Women’s Rank” – the list of the world’s best 50 women’s soccer players in 2024 – today.
The “2024 FC Women’s Rank” features digital profiles of all 50 players, written by a panel of ESPN reporters Jeff Kassouf, Emily Keogh, Sam Marsden, Tom Hamilton, and Sophie Lawson. The project includes unique art for each player created by ESPN’s award-winning art department; content shared across ESPN FC, espnW, and ESPN social media platforms; video highlights on digital platforms; and the package is available in Spanish for ESPN Deportes and ESPN International editions.
The headlines:
- Spain national women’s football team and FC Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí is the No. 1 player on the ESPN FC 50 Women’s Rank for the second straight year. Bonmatí won her second-straight Ballon d’Or Award last month and currently holds The Best FIFA Women’s Player Award for the 2022-23 season
- Four Americans were on the list in 2023, and none were in the top 10 after a World Cup campaign that saw the USWNT with the worst finish in team history. On the strength of the team’s gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the U.S. women’s national team players rebounded in 2024, with eight American players on the list, including three in the top 10
- Fifteen players are on the list for the first time, reflecting the increasing depth of the talent pool in women’s soccer globally
- Three African players – Barbra Banda (Zambia), Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi), and Temwa Chawinga (Malawi) – made the list for the first time.
Players who made the “ESPN FC Women’s Rank” list were voted in by a panel of 18 women’s soccer experts from around the world. This panel includes Chelsea head coach and former Lyon head coach Sonia Bompastor, Kansas City Current head coach and former U.S. national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski, Tanya Oxtoby, Northern Ireland national team head coach, several other head coaches and general managers, and others. Some of the women’s soccer journalists on the panel are Esther Appiah-Fei (African soccer insider), Cintia Barlem (Brazil – Globo TV), Amanda Zaza (Sweden – STV), ESPN’s Sophie Lawson, Jeff Kassouf, and Caitlin Murray, and others.
A special edition of Futbol W with Ali Krieger will provide an in-depth discussion of the list, surprising omissions, new names, and much more, on Thursday, November 14, beginning at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN+. The show will include an interview with Bonmatí, who will receive the 2024 “FC Women’s Rank” trophy in Barcelona as she prepares for the Women’s FC Barcelona-Real Madrid El Clasico on Saturday, November 16. ESPN reporter Alexis Nunes will conduct the interview.
Highlights of ESPN FC Women’s Rank:
- Players from 19 countries on the list: 2023 World Cup winners Spain (9) have the most players on the list, followed by the United States of America (8), and France and World Cup runners-up England each has six players
- San Diego Wave and U.S. Women’s National Team defender Naomi Girma ranks No. 2 on the list, joined by her U.S. teammates Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith (No. 5) and Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman (No. 8) in the top 10
- Players from 16 different clubs are on the list, led by F.C. Barcelona Femení (11), Chelsea F.C. Women (7), Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (6), and Manchester City W.F.C. (4)
- The Women’s Super League (U.K.) leads all leagues with 14 players, the NWSL (U.S.A.) and Spain’s Liga F have 13 players each, France Primière Ligue (9), and Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga (1).
The People’s Choice: In addition to the ranking, ESPN.com will reveal the result of a month-long online voting by fans to pick their top women’s soccer player of 2024. Voting began on October 15 and ended this morning – the result.
About ESPN.com/Soccer:
ESPN.com/soccer is the premier digital destination for global soccer news, analysis, and coverage. With a team of journalists and unparalleled access to soccer teams, players, agents, leagues, newsmakers, associations, and more, ESPN.com/Soccer delivers engaging content across multiple platforms.
To explore the complete rankings and the narratives surrounding the list, click here.
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