TEHRAN - The latest edition of the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Ranking features 12 new teams, reflecting the booming popularity of the game ahead of the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup in the Philippines, which kicks off this coming November.

Brazil remain top of the ranking, which is the basis for the pot allocation that will be used when the draw for the eagerly anticipated tournament is held on 15 September.

Team Melli remained unchanged in ninth place but Thailand and Japan have moved up one and five places respectively to fourth and fifth place.

More and more FIFA Member Associations are competing in women’s futsal. This is illustrated by the fact that 92 teams now appear in the standings, following the entries of Canada (74th), Mexico (75th), Panama (79th), Tanzania (82nd), Cameroon (84th), Angola (85th), Egypt (86th), Honduras (88th), Madagascar (89th), Namibia (90th), Guinea (91st) and Cuba (92nd).

In addition, Guatemala, who were regularly in action in the 2010s but, owing to a hiatus, had yet to make their debut in the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Ranking following its formal introduction last year, are up and running again and have entered the table in 39th.

A total of 95 matches have been played since the previous instalment of the ranking, which was released in April. This brings the total played in 2025 to 206 women’s matches and 165 men’s games. The latest instalment of fixtures have included 57 qualifiers for the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025, rounding off the line-up for the tournament, which will take place from 21 November to 7 December. The AFC, CAF, Concacaf and OFC qualifying competitions have all been contested in recent months, with Japan, Iran, Thailand, Morocco, Tanzania, Canada, Panama and New Zealand sealing their spots in the Philippines.