ESPN FC Women’s Rank: Top 50 Players in the World for 2023
The women’s game of soccer experienced a year of monumental shifts and changes in 2023. Major upsets in both international and club competitions took place, signifying the closing gap between teams. Traditionally strong teams fell early in the Women’s World Cup, while the UEFA Women’s Champions League was won by a lesser-known winner. The ESPN FC Women’s Rank for 2023 reflects player movement and growth over 2023, creating a deeper talent pool, as the contributors to the ranking list explore.
2023 was a monumental year for women’s soccer, with a highly competitive Women’s World Cup and dramatic shifts in power dynamics at both the club and international levels. Traditional powerhouses like Germany, Brazil, and the U.S. stumbled early on, making way for unexpected teams like Colombia, Jamaica, South Africa, and debutante Morocco to advance further than ever before. The UEFA Women’s Champions League also saw major upsets, with Barcelona claiming their second title for the 2023-24 campaign and Lyon being ousted in the quarterfinals.
On the individual player front, our ESPN FC Women’s Rank for 2023 saw significant changes, with fewer Americans making the top 50 and new names from England and Spain coming to the forefront. The talent pool in the women’s game has never been deeper, leading to fierce competition and tough decisions in selecting the top 50 players.
Despite injuries plaguing several top players throughout the year, including ACL tears sidelining stars like Alexia Putellas and Vivianne Miedema, new stars emerged to fill the voids left by these absences. The poll for our top 50 players was conducted by 32 women’s soccer experts from around the world, with each No. 1 vote worth 50 points and each No. 50 vote worth one point.
As for the ESPN FC Women’s Rank for 2023, notable players such as Lucy Bronze, Irene Paredes, Ellie Carpenter, and Rose Lavelle were featured in the top 50 list. With Greenwood’s standout performance at the World Cup and Paredes’ leadership in Spain’s defense, there’s plenty of excitement and anticipation for the upcoming season.
