Their journey to the semi-finals of the OFC Women’s Nations Cup 2022 has seen Samoa and Solomon Islands experience the biggest movement in the latest FIFA Women’s World ranking release this week.
A massive ten spot leap has seen Samoa crack the top 100, while Solomon Islands were some of the biggest global movers as they went 15 positions up the rankings table overtaking Cook Islands, New Caledonia and Tahiti.
Solomon Islands have gone from being ranked ninth in the region, ahead of just Vanuatu and American Samoa, to 105th in the world and sixth in Oceania.
Samoa are now ranked 99th in the world, and join the region’s top five.
The recently crowned regional champions Papua New Guinea have maintained their place inside the top 50, unmoved from their position of 49th in the world.
Despite making the final, Fiji dropped three positions to 72nd in the world, but maintain their position as one of the top three side’s in Oceania.
It’s a big change from 2018 when the rankings saw both Solomon Islands and Fiji join Vanuatu and American Samoa in the play-off for the Women’s Nations Cup with just the Fijian side progressing to the final competition in New Caledonia.
Their efforts at home four years later saw them earn a second consecutive runners-up medal, while Solomon Islands finished in the top three for the first time in the nation’s history.