UEFA Futsal EURO 2018: meet the teams
Monday, January 29, 2018
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We look at the 12 teams that will compete in Slovenia between 30 January and 10 February – from champions Spain and former winners Italy and Russia to debutants France.
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The UEFA Futsal EURO 2018 finals draw has been made and we look at the 12 teams that will compete in Slovenia from 30 January to 10 February.
Group A:
Slovenia (hosts)
Past finals appearances: 4
Best performance: Quarter-finals (2014)
Friendly results in 2017: Bosnia & Herzegovina 6-3 (n, 28/01), Poland 6-6 (a, 29/01), Finland 3-2 (n, 31/01), Hungary 5-0 (a, 22/02), Japan 5-2 (h, 03/04), Japan D2-2 (h, 04/04), Japan 3-0 (h, 06/04), Germany 4-0 (h, 25/09), Germany 5-1 (h, 26/09), Portugal 0-2 (h, 05/12), Portugal 4-6 (h, 06/012)
Key fact: Hoping to be the first hosts to win the tournament since Italy in 2003.
Past finals appearances: 8
Best performance: Winners x 2 (2003, 2014)
Main round: Belarus 2-1, Netherlands 4-2, Georgia 2-2 (Group A winners)
Qualifying top scorer: Alessandro Patias 2
Key fact: Ended Spain's nine-year reign as champions in 2014 (though it was Russia that dethroned the holders in the semi-finals).
Past finals appearances: 5 (including as Yugoslavia in 1999)
Best performance: Fourth place (2016)
Main round: Poland 4-0, Spain 0-6, Moldova 7-3 (Group E runners-up)
Play-off: Czech Republic 4-3a, 4-4h (agg: 8-7)
Qualifying top scorer: Miloš Simić 5
Key fact: Sold out all five of their games as hosts in Belgrade in 2016.
Group B:
Past finals appearances: 10
Best performance: Winners x 1 (1999)
Main round: France 5-0, Slovakia 1-0, Turkey 4-0 (Group G winners)
Qualifying top scorers: Eder Lima, Robinho 3
Key fact: Have lost the last three finals as well as the 2016 World Cup decider against Argentina.
Past finals appearances: 1
Best performance: Third place (2016)
Main round: FYR Macedonia 3-0, Denmark 5-0, Czech Republic 3-0 (Group F winners)
Qualifying top scorer: Douglas Junior 3
Key fact: Much of the squad play for two-time UEFA Futsal Cup winners Kairat Almaty.
Past finals appearances: 1
Best performance: Group stage (2001)
Main round: Serbia 0-4, Moldova 4-2, Spain 1-1 (Group E third place, best third-placed team)
Play-off: Hungary 1-2a, 6-4h (agg: 7-6)
Qualifying top scorer: Michał Kubik 3
Key fact: Made the play-offs as the best third-placed team by a single goal after becoming the first side to take Futsal EURO qualifying points off Spain since Slovenia in February 2004.
Group C:
Past finals appearances: 8
Best performance: Runners-up (2010)
Main round: Latvia 2-1, Finland 5-1, Romania 4-0 (Group D winners)
Qualifying top scorer: Bruno Coelho 5
Key fact: Star man Ricardinho is set to feature in his fifth final tournament after 2007, 2012, 2014 and 2016 (he missed 2010 through injury).
Past finals appearances: 9
Best performance: Runners-up (2001, 2003)
Main round: Belgium 1-0, Montenegro 4-2, Croatia 2-1 (Group C winners)
Qualifying top scorers: seven players scored one goal
Key fact: Have lost in the quarter-finals in every tournament since this round was introduced in 2010.
Past finals appearances: 3
Best performance: Quarter-finals (2012, 2014)
Main round: Finland 5-5, Latvia 3-1, Portugal 0-4 (Group D runners-up)
Play-off: Georgia 2-2h, 7-4a (agg: 9-6)
Qualifying top scorer: Savio Valadares 5
Key fact: Scored twice in the last five seconds for what proved a crucial draw against Finland in their opening qualifier.
Group D:
Spain (holders)
Past finals appearances: 10
Best performance: Winners x 7 (1996, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2016)
Main round: Moldova 7-0, Serbia 6-0, Poland 1-1 (Group E winners)
Qualifying top scorer: Raúl Campos 3
Key fact: The only European team to win the FIFA Futsal World Cup, in 2000 and 2004.
Past finals appearances: 4
Best performance: Fourth place (2010)
Main round: Bosnia and Herzegovina 5-4, Albania 5-0, Hungary 6-1 (Group B winners)
Qualifying top scorer: Bolinha 4
Key fact: Were the 16-goal top scorers in qualifying.
Past finals appearances: 0
Best performance: First qualification
Premliminary round: Andorra 5-0, Lithuania 3-1 (Group F winners)
Main round: Russia 0-5, Turkey 5-1, Slovakia 4-1 (Group G runners-up)
Play-off: Croatia 1-1h, 5-4a (agg:6-5)
Qualifying top scorer: Abdessamad Mohammed 6
Key fact: The first team to qualify from the preliminary round since Turkey in 2012; the seven games France played over the three rounds are the most any side has ever needed to reach the finals.