Futsal EURO 2026: Entries, format, calendar

UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 is the second edition since the switch from the biennial 12-team tournament to a 16-nation finals held every four years, following Netherlands 2022.

There were 48 entrants at the start of qualifying, with co-hosts Latvia and Lithuania progressing direct to the final tournament and 46 others competing for places. England return having not taken part in 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifying.

• Hosts: Latvia & Lithuania
• Competition regulations

Qualifying format

Qualifying consists of three stages: preliminary round (mini-tournaments), main round (home and away groups) and play-offs (home and away).

• Hosts Latvia and Lithuania both enter in the final tournament.
• 12 teams began in the preliminary round, the other 34 (with the higher ranking as of December 2023) going directly into the main round.

Preliminary round (8–17 April 2024)

• The teams were drawn into three groups of four teams, played as mini-tournaments.
• The top two in each group progressed to the main round.

Group A: Cyprus, Andorra, Estonia, Northern Ireland

Group B: Israel, Bulgaria, Austria, San Marino

Group C: Switzerland, Malta, Gibraltar, Scotland

Qualified from preliminary round: Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, Switzerland

Main round (9 December 2024–18 April 2025)

• The 40 teams (including the 34 entering directly in the main round) are drawn into ten groups of four.
• Each team faces the other teams in their group both home and away.
• The ten group winners join hosts Latvia and Lithuania in the finals, with the eight best runners-up entering the play-offs.

Group 1: Ukraine, Romania, Germany, Cyprus

Group 2: Finland, Italy, Belarus, Malta

Group 3: Poland, Slovakia, Moldova, Türkiye

Group 4: Slovenia, Hungary, Montenegro, Norway

Group 5: Croatia, Azerbaijan, Sweden, Greece

Group 6: Kazakhstan, Armenia, Denmark, Albania

Group 7: Portugal (holders), Netherlands, North Macedonia, Andorra

Group 8: Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, England, Switzerland

Group 9: Serbia, Czechia, Belgium, Austria

Group 10: France, Georgia, Kosovo, Bulgaria

Play-offs

• The eight teams are drawn into four ties, played over two legs, to decide the last four qualifiers.

Final tournament (between 18 January and 8 February 2026, exact dates TBC, hosts Latvia & Lithuania)

• The 16 teams (including the two co-hosts) will be drawn into four groups of four, with the top two from each progressing to the quarter-finals.

Knockout system:
Quarter-final 1: Winners Group B v Runners-up Group A
Quarter-final 2: Winners Group A v Runners-up Group B
Quarter-final 3: Winners Group C v Runners-up Group D
Quarter-final 4: Winners Group D v Runners-up Group C
Semi-final 1: Winners quarter-final 2 v Winners quarter-final 4
Semi-final 2: Winners quarter-final 1 v Winners quarter-final 3
Third-place match: Losers semi-final 1 v Losers semi-final 2
Final: Winners semi-final 1 v Winners semi-final 2