Canadian women fall again in FIFA world rankings, closing out the year at No. 10

The Canada women continue to slide down the FIFA rankings, dropping one place to No. 10.

The Canadians started the year at No. 6, falling one spot in each of the March, June and August rankings. That trend continued in the end-of-year ranking released Thursday.

The most recent drop reflects four straight losses since the last rankings were released on Aug. 7. The Canadian women were beaten 1-0 by both No. 25 Switzerland and the 11th-ranked Netherlands in the October international window and 3-0 and 1-0 by No. 8 Japan in the November window.

Canada ends the year on a five-game losing streak and mired in a 454-minute goal drought dating back to a 4-1 win over No. 50 Haiti on June 27 in Toronto, the team's last win.

The Canadian women went 6-6-1 this year under coach Casey Stoney.

"For the players, we know there are bits we need to get better at, 100 per cent. We all know that," Canada assistant coach Natalie Henderson said after Canada's 1-0 loss to Japan on Dec. 2. "We need to raise our standards on and off the pitch."

Henderson ran the team during the most recent international window while Stoney was back in England with her ailing mother.

Canada has been part of the FIFA top 10 since March 2016, after finishing out 2015 at No. 11. Thursday marks the fourth time it has ranked 10th since then.

The Canadian women's highest-ever position was No. 4, a ranking last held in March 2018. Canada's lowest ranking was 13th, where it languished in December 2005, September 2009 and lastly in August 2010.

Spain, which bumped the U.S. out of top spot in August, remains No. 1 after retaining its UEFA Women's Nations League title. The Americans stay second while Germany, runner-up to Spain in the Nations League earlier this month, vaults