UEFA Futsal Cup main round: full guide

Sporting CP and Araz Naxçıvan are among the teams in action when the UEFA Futsal Cup main round is played between Tuesday and Saturday.

The groups(*hosts)

• The top two in each group join the four teams given byes to the elite round

Group 1 (Wednesday to Saturday): ETO Győr (HUN), Kremlin Bicêtre United (FRA), Energy Lviv (UKR)*, Brezje Maribor (SVN)

• Energy, Győr and Kremlin Bicêtre all have elite round experience while Brezje won all three of their preliminary round games on debut.

Group 2 (Tuesday to Friday): Araz Naxçıvan (AZE), Zelezarec Skopje (MKD)*, FC Feniks (KOS), Tbilisi State University (GEO)

• Araz finished third in 2010 and 2014 and are back in this competition after a one-season gap. Zelezarec made the elite round last term at the seventh time of asking while first Kosovan entrants Feniks and fellow newcomers Tbilisi came through the preliminary round.

Group 3 (Wednesday to Saturday): Nikars Riga (LVA), Grand Pro Varna (BUL)*, Hamburg Panthers (GER), IFK Göteberg (SWE)

• Nikars and Varna boast elite round experience while IFK are another debutant side to have won three preliminary matches.

Group 4 (Wednesday to Saturday): Ekonomac Kragujevac (SRB)*, LSN Lida (BLR), Nacional Zagreb (CRO), Athina '90 (GRE)

• Ekonomac and Nacional are both more than familiar with the elite round and Lida also got there last season. Athina have only managed to make it through from this stage once, despite this being their joint-record 14th entry in the UEFA Futsal Cup.

Group 5 (Wednesday to Saturday): Sporting CP (POR), Halle-Gooik (BEL), Real Rieti (ITA)*, Centar Sarajevo (BIH)

• Sporting were runners-up in 2011 and have been among the last four on three other occasions. Halle-Gooik advanced to the elite round on debut last term while this is a European bow for Rieti, whose compatriots Montesilvano beat Sporting in the 2011 final in Almaty.
  

Group 6 (Tuesday to Friday): EP Chrudim (CZE)*, City'US Târgu Mureş (ROU), Pinerola Bratislava (SVK), APOEL Nicosia (CYP)

• Chrudim have safely navigated this round every season since 2007/08 and Târgu Mureş also possess a fine pedigree in this competition. By contrast, these are Pinerola's first European fixtures.

Bye to elite round (draw 21 October)
Ugra Yugorsk (RUS, holders)
Kairat Almaty (KAZ)
Inter FS (ESP)
FC Dynamo (RUS)

• Elite round played: 22–27 November
• Four-team knockout finals: late Apri