Women’s World Cup Power Rankings: How do the title contenders stack up?

With the Women’s World Cup kicking off later this week, we’re sizing up the title contenders. Though the women’s game continues to grow at a rapid rate as worldwide investment in the sport creates more parity, there remains a clearly defined collection of teams that stand above the rest heading into the competition in Australia and New Zealand. All of them are dealing with some kind of adversity, though, creating a truly intriguing field. Any of the traditional heavyweights could realistically hoist the trophy Aug. 20. Here’s how we think the top teams stack up ahead of the tournament.

1. United States 🇺🇸

FIFA ranking: 1
Odds to win tournament: +250

Until we see otherwise, the two-time defending champion remains the team to beat. The United States, seeking an unprecedented third consecutive title, remains loaded with top-end talent despite untimely injuries to prolific forward Mallory Swanson and team captain