Portugal and Japan capped off their group stage campaigns in style, storming into the knockout round of the 2025 FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup on Saturday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
World No. 3 Portugal secured first place in Group C with a commanding 10-0 win over New Zealand.
Meanwhile, fifth-ranked Japan cruised past Tanzania 9-0 to claim the runner-up spot.
The Selecção das Quinas started strongly, putting six goals past the Futsal Ferns before halftime. Janice Silva (’3, ’13) and Fifo (’13, ’14) led Portugal’s scoring with two goals each, while Debora Lavrador (’8) and Inês Matos (’18) also found the back of the net in the first half.
In the second half, Maria Pereira (’23), Kaka (’23), Martinha (’33), and Cat Pretty (’39) all added goals to complete the rout. This marked Portugal’s second 10-0 victory in the group stage, matching their win over Tanzania last Sunday.
“It was a very important opportunity for us to compete,” said Portugal coach Luis Conceicao. “After playing on Wednesday, we wouldn’t play again until next Tuesday. We had to make the most of this game and compete at a very high level.”
(C) FIFA
Earlier in the day, Japan bounced back from their 3-1 loss to Portugal last Wednesday with a dominant 9-0 victory over Tanzania. Ryo Egawa opened the scoring in the first minute and sealed the rout with a goal in the 34th minute, while Yuka Iwasaki netted twice in the 26th and 27th minutes.
Naomi Matsumoto (’4), Mizuki Nakamura (’18), Kaho Ito (’24), Kyoka Takahashi (’27), and Anna Amishiro (’33) also contributed one goal each for the Nadeshiko Five.
“Today we won with a large margin against Tanzania,” said Japan coach Takehiro Suga. “There was a sense of urgency, so I’m very happy with the win.”
With these results, Portugal and Japan advance to the knockout stage with nine and six points, respectively. In contrast, Tanzania and New Zealand are eliminated from the tournament, finishing third and fourth with three and zero points.
On Tuesday, Portugal will face either Italy or Iran at 6:00 PM, while Japan will take on world number one Brazil at 8:30 PM. Both matches will be at the Philsports Arena.
