Brazil beats Portugal to take home first-ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup title

Brazil lived up to its billing after taking home the first-ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup trophy, beating Portugal, 3-0, in the inaugural staging of the tournament on Sunday night in front of the 5,087-strong crowd at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

Emilly grabbed the early lead for Brazil with a ninth-minute left-footed strike after connecting with Ana Luiza from the top corner of the box.

Amandinha then found Simone from the right corner to double the count for Brazil in the 22nd minute.

With over two minutes remaining, Debora Vanin stretched the gap further after meeting a cross from Camila, making the final count a decisive 3-0 win for Brazil.

The world No. 1 Brazilians dominated the pool play at the expense of Iran, Italy, and Panama before going on to defeat Japan and Spain in the knockout stage en route to the final.

Brazil either kept a clean sheet or conceded only one goal against their opponents to become one of the most successful nations across all FIFA tournaments with another title.

The historic conquest is also coming at a perfect time for Brazil, as it is set to host the upcoming 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Portuguese side settled for a runner-up finish after an equally remarkable campaign.

Third-ranked Portugal scored the most goals in the 16-team tournament with 37 through all six assignments.

Earlier, Spain national team bagged the bronze medal after breaking a 1-all deadlock and unleashing a furious 4-0 rally in the final five minutes of the battle for third against Argentina, 5-1.

Ale De Paz struck an early goal for Spain in the fourth minute as they held on to the 1-0 advantage for nearly the whole game.

Down by a goal, Argentine forward Mailen Romero found the equalizer in the 33rd minute from the left wing.

However, Laura Cordoba capitalized on an empty net a minute later after scoring from her own half. She then went on to deliver a brace, including the finishing kick in the final seconds of play.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News