Japan Retain No. 1 Spot in Women’s Softball World Rankings as Korea Make Biggest Climb
Japan have maintained their position at the top of the WBSC/SHARP Women’s Softball World Ranking, while Korea made the biggest improvement in the latest standings released on October 21, 2026.
The updated rankings cover 69 national programmes and include results from the latest Asian Games and U-15 Women’s Softball Asia Cup. Points from the previous editions of both competitions have been replaced by those earned at the most recent events.
Japan lead the global standings with 3,726 points, holding a 240-point advantage over the United States, who remain second with 3,486 points. Puerto Rico occupy third place with 3,002 points, followed by Canada on 2,728 and Chinese Taipei with 2,465.
Mexico sit sixth with 2,251 points, while the Netherlands are seventh with 1,915. China hold eighth place with 1,790 points, Czechia are ninth with 1,666, and Italy complete the top 10 with 1,556 points.
The top 22 positions remain unchanged in the latest update. Australia rank 11th with 1,355 points, followed by Venezuela with 1,071 and Great Britain with 967. The Philippines occupy 14th place with 960 points, while Cuba are 15th with 799.
Korea recorded the most significant rise among the teams highlighted in the update, moving up three places to 28th with 305 points. The improvement pushed Greece down to 29th, Poland to 30th and Argentina to 31st, with each country losing one position.
Hong Kong, China, also improved its standing, climbing two places to 32nd with 282 points. The US Virgin Islands dropped to 33rd, while Belgium moved down to 34th.
Singapore experienced a three-place decline to 26th with 380 points. Austria and Ukraine each moved up one position to share 23rd place with 394 points, while Colombia advanced one place to 25th with 386 points.
The WBSC/SHARP Women’s Softball World Ranking evaluates national teams based on their results in senior and youth competitions over a four-year period. Points are awarded for performances in WBSC-sanctioned tournaments, including World Cups, continental championships, multi-sport events, World Cup qualifiers and international friendly matches.
The points system considers both a team’s results and the category of competition, with senior World Cups carrying the highest value. Under the current system, ranking points generally remain valid for four years.
When a new edition of a competition takes place within that period, results from the latest tournament replace those from the previous edition. For World Cups using a two-stage format, teams receive ranking points after both the group stage and the finals, based on their performances in each phase.
The latest standings reflect the impact of recent international competitions while Japan continue to lead the women’s softball rankings and Korea emerge as the biggest climber in the update.
