WBSC/KONAMI Women's Softball World Ranking: Netherlands gain most points, Sweden make biggest leap as USA stay No. 1 in 2024
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced the end-of-the-year WBSC/KONAMI Women's Softball World Ranking with world No. 5 Netherlands accumulating 1,143 points in 2024, becoming the National Team programme with the most points in the year, while Sweden climbed 19 places to become the top mover of 2024. USA remain the top-ranked nation in the world with 5,106 points.
* Graphic reflects changes since the last update on 11 September
The Netherlands competed in four official events this year, including a fourth place at the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals and a bronze medal at the European Championship. They also played the U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group B and the U-15 European Championship.
World No. 2 Japan earned 1,086 points in 2024, and was the only other team with more than 1,000 points in the year. The spectacular World Championship run in the Finals allowed Japan to reduce the deficit with USA to 1,141 points, 261 less than December 2023.
With 221 points, earned as 13th-place at the European Championship, Sweden was the most improved team of the year. The yellow and blue team started 2024 as No. 56 and finished the year as No. 38.
The end-of-the-year update features the addition of points from the Bolivarian Games and the Puerto Rico International Challenge.
Colombia earned 72 points with their Bolivarian Games silver medal, and moved up from 34 to 31, with 197 total points in 2024. Peru gained 47 points with a fourth-place finish at the Bolivarian Games and also improved three places, finishing the year as No. 16. With nine points, Bolivia passed Ecuador and finished the year as No. 60 in the world.
The US Virgin Islands also moved up one spot in the ranking, earning six points at the Puerto Rico International Challenge. The Caribbean island ends as No. 58, leaving Panama as No. 59.
A total of 45 national teams, of the 65 featured in the list, earned ranking points in 2024.
The new World Ranking Methodology, announced on 19 December, will be used to calculate the next update of this ranking.