Canadians lose 2-0 to Colombia at inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup

MANILA – Canada lost its opening game at the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, beaten 2-0 by Colombia on Saturday.

Nicole Mancilla and Angely Camargo scored for eighth-ranked Colombia. Canada, due to its lack of international games, is ranked 74th.

Goalkeepers starred on the day with Canadian captain Lea Palacio-Tellier making two stellar stops while Colombians Paula Valencia and Allison Olave also excelled.

Camargo broke the deadlock after Colombia’s Isabella Mosquera split the defence with a perfect through ball that found Karen Torres in front of goal. Her nifty layoff went to an unmarked Camargo to knock the ball home. 

A turnover by Canada’s Shayle He led to the second goal, with Mancilla making no mistake on a breakaway — deking Palacio-Tellier before slotting the ball home.

Canada outshot Colombia 47-43 (17-15 in shots on target).

The 16-team tournament runs through Dec. 7 at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City, Metropolitan Manila. Canada continues Group B play against No. 4 Thailand before facing No. 2 Spain on Friday. 

Spain has won all three editions of the UEFA Women’s Futsal Championship while Thailand was runner-up at the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup in May.

Futsal is a five-a-side indoor game played in two 20-minute halves. Like hockey, teams can make changes on the fly.

Canada coach Alexandre Da Rocha reckons there are eight to 10 teams capable of making the final, with Spain among the favourites.

“I think the biggest obstacle we have is our players have not been playing futsal since we qualified (in March).” he said prior to the tournament. “Basically there’s no futsal leagues across the country that run across the summertime.”

The Canadians held camps in August and October advance of the tournament.

Despite its rankings and lack of playing time, the Canadian women arrived at the tournament with bona-fide credentials.

Canada booked its ticket to the World Cup by defeating Mexico in a penalty shootout in the semifinal of the CONCACAF W Futsal Championship in Guatemala. The Canadians then downed Panama 8-2 in the final.

Palacio-Tellier was named Best Goalkeeper at the CONCACAF Championship while Esther Brossard was named Best Player after leading the tournament with eight goals.

Da Rocha has been able to bring 12 of his players from the CONCACAF championship to the World Cup. Keera Melenhorst who plays for Linkoping FC in Sweden, and Sadie Sider, who plays for the University of South Florida, were unable to come due to club and school commitments.

Their spots have been taken by defender Katerine Delev and forward Magali Gagné.

Colombia qualified by defeating Paraguay in the third-place game at the 2025 Copa América de Futsal Femenina in March, securing the third and last South American berth at the World Cup.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2025.