The qualifying competition consists of two stages:[2]
Main round: The 24 teams (excluding top seeds Portugal and Spain) are divided into five groups of four and one group of three. The group winners advance to the elite round, where they will be joined by the two highest-ranked teams, who received byes.
Elite round: The eight teams, including Portugal and Spain, are drawn into two groups of four. The top two in each group qualify for the World Cup.
Teams
A total of 25 (out of 55) UEFA member national teams entered the qualifying competition, with England, France and Norway making their competitive debuts.[3][4] The teams were seeded based on their Women's Futsal National Team Coefficient ranking.[5] The two highest-ranked teams advanced directly to the elite round, while the remaining teams entered the main round.
The draw for the Elite round took place on 31 October, 2024. Pot 1 consisted of the two host countries (which were drawn into position 2 of the two groups), Pot 3 consisted of the two teams which received a bye to this round. They were drawn into position 1 of either group.[40]