The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has unveiled the latest WBSC/KONAMI Women's Softball World Ranking, featuring notable changes in the top 10. These shifts come in the wake of the recently concluded Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2024 in Castions di Strada, Italy, where Japan's triumphant performance saw them reclaim the world No. 2 spot from Puerto Rico.
USA maintained its dominance at No. 1, despite finishing as runners-up in the tournament, while Japan, the tournament winners, have jumped to No. 2, holding both the world and Olympic titles.
Puerto Rico, which secured a sixth-place finish in the tournament, have slipped from their previous high of No. 2 to No. 3. Chinese Taipei and Canada remained steady at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, with Canada clinching the bronze medal in Castions di Strada.
Highlighting significant changes in the rankings, China jumped six spots to No. 11 while the Netherlands climbed two spots to No. 6. Australia advanced one place to No. 9. Other notable movers included Argentina, who ascended from No. 29 to No. 27, and Colombia, which edged up one place to No. 32.
Meanwhile, the race for one of the six coveted spots at The World Games Chengdu 2025 is intensifying. The top six teams in the WBSC/KONAMI Women's Softball World Ranking as of 31 December 2024 will secure their place in the tournament.
The WBSC/KONAMI World Rankings includes all tournaments for each discipline over a four-year time cycle. See the methodology for women's softball world ranking here.
With the 2024 season's focus on the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup group stage and the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals, the competition for ranking points will be intense, especially with no residual points from the 2020 COVID-affected season influencing the standings.