Thousands of women futsal players around the world saw their dreams come true when Morocco and Argentina kicked off the landmark inaugural edition of the FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup™.

When the FIFA Council approved the launch of the competition in December 2022, everyone in women's futsal saw their long fought-for request finally granted.

Clàudia Pons is a leading light in this role as a champion and campaigner for women's futsal. The former player has been the Spanish national team coach since 2018, and is a respected voice in the sport.

“It's a major step forward, and something we've been pushing for all along. Now is the time to show that we stand ready, to finally seize this opportunity to compete on a global scale,” she said.

“It's a dream come true for me. It would've been nice to compete as a player. The main purpose of the national team is to play in international competitions, even though they didn't exist at that time. We've taken the first step, which is to be in the Philippines, and now we're determined to make every player's dream come true.

“This World Cup gives us the chance to play against international teams, which were often very ad hoc, or we didn't get to play at all. This sport is gaining momentum, and more competitions are in the pipeline. We're at the point where futsal can start to talk about being a sport that attracts large crowds, while being aware of how things really are right now.”

“This World Cup gives us the chance to play against international teams, which were often very ad hoc, or we didn't get to play at all. This sport is gaining momentum, and more competitions are in the pipeline. We're at the point where futsal can start to talk about being a sport that attracts large crowds, while being aware of how things really are right now.”

This is Clàudia's seventh year as a national team head coach. She has led Spain to glory with three European Championship titles in 2019, 2022 and 2023. Being part of this historic Women's Futsal World Cup is already a rich reward after all the hard work.

“In 2018, I took over the national side to qualify them for their first-ever European Championship, and now we're talking about the first-ever Women's World Cup. It's really exciting,” she said. “We've been working on growing women's futsal for years, and we've overcome numerous challenges along the way, which has made us even more excited about the future.”

Spain are in Group B alongside three of the top 10 teams in the FIFA Futsal Women's World Ranking alongside Canada, Colombia and Thailand. The ranking was officially launched in May 2024, with the positions published on 29 August used to determine which pots the teams were placed in for the competition’s draw.

This world ranking has also boosted women's futsal's visibility. “It's really important to have a women's ranking at last. It's all falling into place, and we're hitting those targets that keep us on track,” said Pons.

“We don't like seeing ourselves lower than Brazil [who are top], but it's an incentive to overtake them. As an Association, we always aspire to be in the top two or top three, or, even better, to top the ranking.”

Pons is also grateful to FIFA and President Gianni Infantino for giving the green light to create this long-awaited Women's Futsal World Cup.

“The first ever FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup is truly a game-changer. It finally gives the world's top women's futsal players the global stage that they deserve,” Mr Infantino said in his video message to those attending the draw for the tournament. Spain's coach feels the same way.

“We kept asking for a chance to compete, and finally, we got it. Someone heard us,” Pons continued. “I just hope that we can put on a decent show and keep improving. That will help us grow, increase our fan base, get more girls interested in playing futsal, bring about more competitions, and raise our profile internationally.”

As a former coach of Spain's youth teams, Pons remains optimistic about this year's tournament, which kicks off for them against Thailand on Saturday, while not forgetting how challenging it will be to achieve their goal. “When you're aiming for a goal like that, ambition levels are sky-high for both the coaching staff and the players. At the World Cup, matches will vary considerably and be very demanding. Every opponent will challenge us to perform at the highest level.”

The setting of this Women's Futsal World Cup in the Philippines could be hugely significant. The country plans to pull out all the stops for the tournament, which will only be staged at a single host city, Pasig, near the Filipino capital of Manila.

“It's going to be a fascinating World Cup. It may be a novelty at first, but with exposure, you can get hooked. Women's futsal is pure entertainment, and I think that's what we're going to see. Hopefully, the country will turn out in force so that we have the best possible atmosphere and attract many more people,” said Pons.

“I get emotional just thinking about it. I've fantasised about it many times. You think about how it will feel. And now it's happening. It's about to become a reality. You remember teammates who have played for the national team, those you've worked or played with... Now I'm lucky enough to experience it from the sidelines,” she concluded.

“I feel a great deal of responsibility. I don't think we should forget how far our sport has come, or the players who pushed for us to have this chance today.”