Physiological demands and player characteristics in women's futsal: a systematic review.

Women's futsal is gaining increasing recognition in both the sporting world and academic research, driven by events such as the inaugural FIFA Women's Futsal World Cup. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the current scientific literature on match demands and player characteristics in women's futsal. Four key dimensions were analyzed: external and internal match loads (i), physiological, neuromuscular, and biochemical responses to competition (ii), and anthropometric (iii) and physical (iv) profiles of athletes across different competitive levels. The review followed PRISMA guidelines. Studies were included if they involved women practicing futsal at any competitive level, were peer-reviewed articles in English, Portuguese, or Spanish, and investigated variables related to match demands or player characteristics. Searches were conducted in SPORTDiscus, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The search returned 837 records; after removing duplicates and screening abstracts and full texts, 50 studies were included in the review. Methodological quality was assessed independently by two reviewers using a modified Downs and Black checklist. The findings indicate that women's futsal imposes high physiological demands, especially in the first half of matches, with performance often declining in the second half. Elite players consistently show superior physical attributes-including higher VO