Where Did Canada’s Stars Go? The 2024 Best Female Soccer Player Rankings Reviewed
Issue 2025-08 | Special Edition: February 16, 2025
Photo Source: Shutterstock: Ashley Lawrence, Kadeisha Buchanan, Vanessa Gilles, Christine Sinclair | Hameltion, via Wikimedia Commons: Jessie Fleming
Hello subscribers and welcome to this special edition of Just Watch Me: Spotlight on Canadian Women in Pro Sports that covers the Canadian women who play professional sports around the world and how to watch them.
Fans will be rallying behind Canada’s National Women’s Soccer Team this week as they compete in the Pinatar Cup, facing China on February 19, Mexico on February 22, and Chinese Taipei on February 25.
While Canadian players were prominently featured in the Guardian’s Top 100 Women’s Soccer Players list through 2023, this year’s list sees just one Canadian representative: Vanessa Gilles. Though Gilles’ inclusion is well-deserved, I couldn’t help but reflect on why Canada’s presence has diminished in 2024.
I was first drawn to The Guardian's annual rankings of the top 100 female soccer players in 2018 to see how Canadian women fared on the global stage.
Christine Sinclair was a fixture on the list, reaching a high of sixth in 2018 before ranking 76th in 2022 as her career wound down. Kadeisha Buchanan and Jessie Fleming made their debuts during their college years in the U.S. and continued to be recognized from 2021 to 2023. Ashley Lawrence made her first appearance in 2020 and maintained a presence through 2023. Canada has consistently been well represented over the years, with 12 players getting ‘votes’, and 4 regularly in the top 100.
But 2024 brought a surprising shift. In the year of the “Dronegate" scandal, only Vanessa Gilles cracked the top 100, landing at 66th. This led me to question the subjective nature of ranking the top 100 and how much may be based on factors beyond player performance, such as perceptions of the soccer programs of the countries they represent. I decided to consider whether these lists even matter.
Every year since 2018, The Guardian has compiled its definitive rankings of the world’s top 100 female soccer players. The 2024 list is based on a survey of 99 judges, including 4 Canadians amongst 17 former players, 35 coaches and technical staff, and 47 media representatives. Each judge ranks players based on past performance, points are assigned, the numbers are crunched, and a final list emerges.
Like their counterparts in the men’s game, these rankings aim to entertain fans, celebrate excellence, and boost visibility for women’s soccer. But unlike the men, where scouting reports such as that from the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) Football Observatory provide deeper statistical insights, women's soccer still lacks a comprehensive assessment tool. As a result, these rankings often rely on subjective opinions rather than advanced analytics.
So, do these lists matter? Or are they just a glorified popularity contest? Here are five reasons to pay attention—and five reasons to tune them out.
Why These Lists Matter
1. Recognition Matters – Celebrating individual excellence acknowledges a player’s hard work and success, inspiring both them and others who follow.
2. Measuring a Nation’s Progress – The number of players a country lands on these lists can indicate how well its development programs are working—and may hint at future international success.
3. A Catalyst for Conversation – These rankings fuel discussions about the qualities of elite players, raising awareness and deepening fans’ understanding of the game.
4. Marketing and Visibility – Media coverage around the lists helps grow the women’s game by keeping players in the spotlight and attracting new audiences.
5. Legacy and Historical Perspective – Over time, these lists serve as a record of the game’s evolution, capturing the rise of new stars and the enduring brilliance of veterans.
Why They Don’t Matter
1. Distraction from Real Progress – Focusing too much on rankings can overshadow deeper issues in the women’s game, like investment in youth development and player welfare.
2. Debates Over Snubs and Rankings – Every year, some fans and pundits argue over who was overlooked, who was overrated, and whether bias played a role—often detracting from the bigger picture. (Oh no, is this what I am doing now?)
3. Lack of Data-Driven Precision – Without the robust scouting metrics available in men’s soccer, these lists rely heavily on subjective opinions rather than objective performance analysis.
4. No Real Impact on Player Careers – Being ranked doesn’t necessarily translate to future success. Teams, clubs, and scouts care more about who will be great, not who was great last season.
5. Hype vs. Substance – While these lists help market the sport, they risk becoming more about name recognition than true performance, reinforcing media bias toward already well-known players.
So, Should You Care?
The answer lies somewhere in between. Maybe ‘Dronegate’ had some impact on various ‘judge’s perceptions, but the diverse viewpoints used to compile these lists help moderate bias and create a more balanced consensus.
These rankings increase exposure for women’s soccer, offering recognition and sparking discussion. But they shouldn’t replace deeper analysis or meaningful investment in player and team development. For Canadian women’s soccer, observing how many players make these lists should lead to deeper questions about how Canada can develop and support the current and next generation of world-class talent.
It feels good to be recognized on the list, but real progress happens in development, during training, and on the pitch. The Top 100 list is entertaining and fosters discussions about the best qualities of the top players, but it should not be used to bias decisions about soccer program development, player recruitment and rewards.
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