Staff Reporter
Brazil have retained their position at the summit of both the men’s and women’s FIFA Futsal World Rankings, as the latest edition highlighted the continued global expansion of the sport with five new teams entering each ranking.
The May 2026 rankings included 84 new women’s matches and 321 men’s matches, with fixtures spanning continental championships, qualifiers and international friendlies.
In the women’s rankings, the top six nations remained unchanged from December 2025, with Brazil leading ahead of Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Italy and Japan. France recorded the biggest rise, climbing 15 places to 33rd, while Costa Rica and Fiji also made notable gains.
Five nations — Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives — entered the women’s rankings for the first time, increasing the total number of ranked teams to 96.
In the men’s rankings, Brazil strengthened their hold on the top spot after capturing a record 12th title at the CONMEBOL Copa América de Futsal 2026.
Portugal, runners-up at the UEFA Futsal EURO 2026, remained second, while newly crowned European champions Spain climbed to third. Argentina and Iran completed the top five following Iran’s successful AFC title defence.
Among the biggest movers were Indonesia, who jumped ten places to 14th after reaching the AFC final, while North Macedonia, Montenegro, Peru and Norway also registered significant gains.
New entrants to the men’s rankings included Cabo Verde, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Senegal and Kenya, while Cameroon returned after more than eight years away from international futsal competition. Afghanistan also climbed seven places to 21st.
FIFA officially launched the Futsal World Ranking system in May 2024 following extensive testing and development. The rankings are calculated using the Elo-rating system, which awards or deducts points based on match results and the relative strength of opponents.
