Sky is the limit for the Women's Homeless World Cup

With interest and participation at an all time high, the Paris 2011 Women's Homeless World Cup will expand to accommodate sixteen teams this summer. The Women's tournament sparked incredible interest at last year’s Rio 2010 Homeless World Cup as the 12 participating teams plundered no fewer than 520 goals in just 54 games as host nation Brazil were crowned champions.

As a result, the Homeless World Cup received an unprecedented number of applications from partner organisations wishing to field an all-female team at the Paris 2011 event, the vast majority incorporating women's football into their national projects for the first time.

Now the women's tournament has been expanded to accommodate 16 teams for the Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup, allowing for a further four teams to compete. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Haiti, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay and Uganda will be joined by debutants Canada, hosts France, Malawi and Scotland.

Roberta Silva represented champions Brazil in Rio, she said, "To play at the Homeless World Cup is a great opportunity for people who are in need and a fantastic way for women to show their football skills."

Gerthrude Saint-Jacques, who played for Haiti, said, "I'm overjoyed to have played at the Homeless World Cup, meeting people from across the world and playing football. It is more than a dream to represent your country at the Homeless World Cup – it is a miracle."

Mel Young, President and co-Founder of the Homeless World Cup, said, "Homelessness is an issue that affects men and women in equal measure. This is why it is so important that we build on the success of the women's tournament in Rio and this is something that I am excited to see realised in Paris."

The Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup takes place at the Champs de Mars, Paris, France from August 21-28, 2011.