Vera Pauw’s Ireland have climbed to 26th in the latest Fifa World Rankings.
The World Cup aspirants moved up one spot to 26th after a dominant win against Georgia in Tbilisi, moving them into the top 16 of the European countries.
Since Pauw took charge in 2019, the team has moved up six places overall and she feels that they can go even higher ahead of next month’s vital clash with group rivals Finland.
“It is fantastic to see the Republic of Ireland women’s national team rise up to their highest ever position in the FIFA women’s world rankings because this is a reflection of the tremendous work that the players and staff have put in over the years,” said Pauw.
Ireland are now ahead of Portugal and the Czech Republic, with Colombia less than five points ahead.
The USA remains on top with Germany and Sweden rounding out the top three.
Ireland’s focus is still on their September match against Finland, which will be their penultimate game in Group A. There are still two games left for both teams. Sweden has already taken first place in the group, but there is still competition for second place and a berth in the play-offs.