Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss the growth of women’s football after a hugely successful Euro 2022 tournament. (1:14)
EA Sports has revealed the FIFA 23 ratings for the best women’s footballers included in the game as part of the push to improve the integration of women’s club and national teams into the franchise.
The top 25 women’s players in FIFA 23 have been announced with all the familiar names included such as Vivianne Miedema (89), Sam Kerr (91) and Alex Morgan (90), along with past Ballon d’Or Feminin winners Ada Hegerberg (91), Megan Rapinoe and Alexia Putellas (92). The top 10 is reshuffled to account for up and coming stars, veterans who are past their peaks and players who made a name for themselves in this summer’s Euros.
Many of the top women’s stars will be represented in game with full authentic headscans, meaning fans of England’s WSL and France’s D1 Feminine in particular will be able to immerse themselves fully in the experience. EA has also confirmed that further head scans for a raft of World Cup 2023 players will follow in the form of a post-launch update.
Having scoured the FIFA 23 list and compared it to the upper echelons of the women’s ratings deployed in both FIFA 21 and FIFA 22, here are our choice takeaways ahead of the game’s release on Sept. 30.
In direct parallel with her real-world rise to prominence, 2021 Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas has seen a dramatic surge in her FIFA rating with the Spain and Barcelona star topping the list in FIFA 23 with a rating of 92, having previously failed to make the top 10 in both FIFA 21 and 22.
The supremely talented midfielder captained Barca to a flawless, record-breaking quadruple in 2021-22 and has since cemented her place as one of the greatest, most influential players of all time.
Alongside Lucy Bronze (90) and Wendie Renard (91), Netherlands international forward Miedema was the joint-highest rated player in FIFA 22 with a strong rating of 92. However, the Arsenal star has seen her rating slashed to 89 in FIFA 23, thus leaving her clinging onto a place in the Top 10 having been overtaken by several of her contemporaries in the space of a year.
Indeed, Miedema’s dramatic slip down the ranking can perhaps be attributed to an influx of new stars forcing their way into the reckoning with the likes of Putellas, Hegerberg, Marie-Antoinette Katoto (90), Caroline Graham Hansen (90) and Christiane Endler (89) all occupying top 10 positions despite not featuring at all in FIFA 22.
Barcelona and French sides Lyon and PSG provide a number of these breakthrough players, reflecting their strong performances in European competition last season.
The changing of the guard in women’s football has exacerbated the slide of several well established names such as USWNT stalwarts Morgan and Rapinoe.
Having entered the twilight of their careers at 33 and 37 respectively, Morgan is now the only U.S. women’s player included in the top 25 for FIFA 23 while Rapinoe falls out of the running entirely despite being a top 10 mainstay in both FIFA 21 and 22.
European champions England are well represented with Bronze holding steady in the top 10 having previously been the joint-highest rated player in FIFA 22 alongside Miedema.
Lionnesses teammate Beth Mead sits just outside in 11th place thanks to a boosted rating of 88 (no doubt a result of being crowned UEFA Player of the tournament at Euro 2022) while fellow England stars Lauren Hemp (87) and Millie Bright (87) are also included in the top 25.
Women’s club football is coming to #FIFA23 and with it, here are the #FIFARatings for the top players: https://t.co/Q6cOkhTsJA pic.twitter.com/AhGXhO1Tw3
1. Alexia Putellas – 92
2. Sam Kerr – 91
3. Wendie Renard – 91
4. Ada Hegerberg – 91
5. Marie-Antoinette Katoto – 90
6. Lucy Bronze – 90
7. Alex Morgan – 90
8. Caroline Graham Hansen – 90
9. Christiane Endler – 89
10. Vivianne Miedema – 89
11. Beth Mead – 88
12. Kadidiatou Diani – 88
13. Mapi Leon – 88
14. Irene Paredes – 88
15. Jenni Hermoso – 88
16. Alexandra Popp – 88
17. Sandra Panos – 88
18. Amandine Henry – 88
19. Kim Little – 88
20. Lina Magull – 87
21. Lauren Hemp – 87
22. Grace Geyoro – 87
23. Ashley Lawrence – 87
24. Millie Bright – 87
25. Lieke Martens – 87