Top 10 Women’s Soccer Players of All Time Ranked

Some players win trophies. The top 10 women’s soccer players on this list won trophies, changed how the game is played, and made millions of people watch women’s football who never had before.

This is not a popularity contest. Every name here earned her spot through skill, impact, titles, and the kind of performances that coaches still study today. Read every entry and you will understand exactly why each one belongs.

What Makes a Women’s Soccer Player Truly the Best?

Goals and assists tell part of the story. The full picture includes World Cup performances, Olympic medals, individual awards, club dominance, and the ability to perform at the highest level under the most pressure.

The players on this list did all of that. Some redefined their positions. Some carried entire national teams to glory. All of them left the women’s game permanently different from how they found it.

Top 10 Women’s Soccer Players of All Time

1. Marta — The Greatest of All Time

Marta Vieira da Silva from Brazil is the highest scorer in FIFA World Cup history across both men’s and women’s competitions. She has scored in five consecutive World Cups, a record no other player holds. She won the FIFA World Player of the Year award six times.

She plays with technical brilliance, creativity, and a physical intensity that has never slowed down across a career spanning more than two decades. Pele himself called her Pele with skirts. No other woman in football history carries that level of individual recognition.

2. Mia Hamm — The Player Who Built Women’s Soccer in America

Mia Hamm was the face of women’s soccer for an entire generation. She retired as the all-time leading scorer in international football history, male or female, with 158 goals for the United States. She won two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals.

Off the pitch she turned women’s soccer into a commercial product. The 1999 World Cup final, which drew 90,185 fans to the Rose Bowl, happened largely because of the profile she had built. She created the audience that the women’s game still benefits from today.

3. Birgit Prinz — Germany’s Greatest Ever Player

Birgit Prinz won three consecutive FIFA World Player of the Year awards from 2003 to 2005. She led Germany to back-to-back World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007. She scored 128 international goals across her career for the German national team.

As a striker she combined physical power with technical precision in a way that no European women’s player had before her. She dominated international football for the better part of a decade and left German women’s soccer in a fundamentally stronger position than she found it.

4. Abby Wambach — The Greatest Header of a Ball in Women’s Football

Abby Wambach retired with 184 international goals, the all-time record for any player, male or female, at the time of her retirement. She scored in six World Cups. She won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2012.Top 10 women’s Soccer players according to 2026.

Her heading ability was unmatched in the history of the women’s game. She scored goals in the final minutes and extra time of major tournaments that most strikers never produce across entire careers. Her 2011 World Cup equalizer against Brazil in the 122nd minute is one of the most replayed goals in football history.

5. Kristine Lilly — The Most Capped International Player of All Time

Kristine Lilly earned 354 international caps for the United States, the most in the history of international football by any player of any gender. She played in five World Cups and won two of them. She also won two Olympic gold medals.

She was not the loudest name on the squad but she was the most consistent and the most reliable player the US program ever produced. She played at the highest level from 1987 to 2010, a span of 23 years at international level.Top 10 women’s Soccer players according to 2026.

6. Michelle Akers — The Engine of the First World Cup

Michelle Akers won the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991 and was named the FIFA Female Player of the Century alongside Mia Hamm. She scored 10 goals in that tournament including both in the final. FIFA itself ranked her as the best women’s player of the twentieth century.

She played much of her career managing chronic fatigue syndrome, which makes what she achieved even harder to comprehend. She was the most physically dominant women’s player of her era and the standard by which every striker who followed her was measured.

7. Nadine Angerer — The Best Goalkeeper in Women’s Football History

Nadine Angerer won the 2007 Women’s World Cup without conceding a single goal across the entire tournament. She saved a penalty in the final against Brazil. She won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2013, the only goalkeeper, male or female, to win it in that year.

Her shot-stopping ability, positioning, and leadership in the German goal across two decades set the standard for what a women’s international goalkeeper could be. No other keeper in women’s football has come close to matching her peak level of performance.Top 10 women’s Soccer players according to 2026.

8. Sam Kerr — The Best Women’s Striker of Her Generation

Sam Kerr is Australia’s all-time leading scorer and one of the most prolific strikers in the history of the women’s club game. She has won golden boots in the NWSL, the WSL, and the W-League. She led Australia to the semi-finals of the 2023 Women’s World Cup on home soil.Top 10 women’s Soccer players according to 2026.

Her athleticism, finishing, and aerial ability make her the complete center forward package. At Chelsea she has won multiple Women’s Super League titles and established herself as the most dangerous striker playing club football in the world right now.

9. Formiga — The Iron Woman of Brazilian Football

Formiga played international football for Brazil across seven Women’s World Cups, the most by any player in the history of the tournament. She competed in six Olympic Games. She played her last international match at age 41.

She anchored the Brazilian midfield for more than two decades with defensive intelligence and technical quality that kept her at international level long after most players retire. Her longevity, consistency, and leadership make her one of the most remarkable figures in the entire history of the women’s game.

10. Alex Morgan — The Most Recognizable Women’s Soccer Player Alive

Alex Morgan has scored more than 120 international goals for the United States and won two World Cups. She scored 6 goals in the 2019 World Cup on her way to the title. She won the FIFA Best Women’s Player award in 2019 alongside Megan Rapinoe.

She is the most commercially visible women’s soccer player in the world and has used that platform to push for equal pay and equal conditions in the sport. Her on-pitch numbers alone place her among the game’s all-time greats, and her off-pitch influence on the growth of women’s football is equally significant.Top 10 women’s Soccer players according to 2026.

Honorable Mentions

Several players came very close to this list. Megan Rapinoe changed what it means to be a public athlete. Sun Wen dominated Asian women’s football for a decade and won the 1999 FIFA Female Player of the Century award alongside Michelle Akers. Carli Lloyd scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final in 16 minutes. Wendie Renard leads the most successful women’s club team in European history at Lyon.

Any honest top 15 includes all of them. Narrowing to 10 always means leaving out someone who deserves to be here.

How Women’s Soccer Has Changed Because of These Players

When Mia Hamm started playing, women’s soccer had no professional league, no serious broadcast deal, and almost no global audience. By the time Alex Morgan lifted the 2019 World Cup trophy, the tournament final drew 82 million viewers worldwide.

That shift happened because players on this list performed at a level that made neutrals pay attention. They created the audience. They built the commercial case. They gave the next generation something to aim at.

• Women’s World Cup viewership has grown by over 50 percent since 1999
• The NWSL, WSL, and Liga F now offer professional contracts that sustain full careers
• Club transfer fees in women’s football have reached six figures for top players
• Broadcasting rights for women’s leagues now sell for amounts unimaginable 20 years ago

Who Is the Best Women’s Soccer Player Right Now?

Sam Kerr, Alexia Putellas, and Ada Hegerberg make the strongest case for the best active player today. Putellas won back-to-back Ballon d’Or Feminin awards in 2021 and 2022. Hegerberg was the first ever winner of that award in 2018. Kerr is the most lethal striker in the club game.Top 10 women’s Soccer players according to 2026.

The debate is genuine and changes depending on whether you weigh club form, international impact, or individual awards. That is a sign of how far the women’s game has come.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the best women’s soccer player of all time?

Marta holds the record for most World Cup goals ever. FIFA named her the World Player of the Year six times, more than any woman in history.

Who has scored the most goals in women’s international football?

Abby Wambach retired with 184 international goals, the all-time record at the time. Christine Sinclair of Canada has since surpassed that with 190 goals.

Which country has produced the most top women’s soccer players?

The United States has produced the most decorated women’s players, with four World Cup titles and multiple Olympic golds. Brazil and Germany follow closely.

Who is the best women’s goalkeeper in history?

Nadine Angerer of Germany is widely regarded as the greatest. She kept a clean sheet across the entire 2007 World Cup and won FIFA World Player of the Year in 2013.

Has any women’s player won the Ballon d’Or?

Yes. The Ballon d’Or Feminin was created in 2018. Ada Hegerberg won the first one. Alexia Putellas won it in 2021 and 2022 back to back.

Who has played in the most Women’s World Cups?

Formiga of Brazil played in seven Women’s World Cups across her career, the most by any player in the history of the tournament.

Is Marta still playing?

Yes. Marta has continued playing at club level and for Brazil into her late thirties, making her one of the longest-serving elite players in women’s football.

Who is the highest paid women’s soccer player?

Sam Kerr at Chelsea and Alex Morgan have consistently ranked among the highest paid. Exact figures vary, but top WSL contracts now reach six figures annually.

Final Thoughts

The top 10 women’s soccer players on this list did not just play the game. They grew it, legitimized it, and handed it to the next generation in far better shape than they found it.

From Marta’s six World Player of the Year awards to Kristine Lilly’s 354 caps, the numbers alone tell a story of dedication that most athletes never approach. But the real legacy is the millions of girls worldwide who now grow up believing a career in football is possible.

That belief exists because of these ten players. And the game will carry that forward long after every record on this list is broken.