The Mexicans now are struggling to emerge from the shadow of powerful regional rivals United States, Cuba, Guatemala, Costa Rica and recently is Panama.

Despite making it to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Futsal Championship on four occasions, the Mexicans have never done better than the third-place finish they managed at the tournament's debut edition back in 1996.

It was their fourth semi-final appearance at the 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship that Mexico booked their ticket to Thailand 2012 with some noteworthy performances against strong teams.

Their campaign began with a valuable draw against Costa Rica and successive wins over St. Kitts and Nevis and Cuba were enough to see them through to the semi-final and guarantee them a place at their first ever FIFA Futsal World Cup, taking the second slot in their group after Costa Rica pipped them to first place on goal difference.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.