2024 Futsal World Cup qualifying: How it worked, format, calendar
Sunday, April 28, 2024
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Seven European teams will compete at the final tournament after qualifying finished in April.
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Seven European teams will compete at the 24-team 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan after qualifying ran in several phases until April. The finals run from 14 September to 6 October.
Through to finals
Hosts (1): Uzbekistan
AFC (4): Afghanistan*, Iran, Tajikistan*, Thailand
CAF (3): Angola, Libya, Morocco
CONCACAF (4): Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Panama
CONMEBOL (4): Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela
OFC (1): New Zealand*
UEFA (7): Croatia, France*, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine
*Debut
Qualifying format
European qualifying consisted of five stages: preliminary round (mini-tournaments), main round (home and away groups), main round play-offs (home and away), elite round (home and away groups) and elite round play-offs (home and away).
- The 24 teams with the lowest coefficients as of November 2021 entered the preliminary round: Moldova, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Turkey, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Armenia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Andorra, San Marino, Estonia, Malta, Scotland, Gibraltar, Austria, Northern Ireland.
- All other entrants* started in the main round group stage: Spain, Portugal (holders), Kazakhstan, Croatia, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Italy, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Finland, Romania, Slovakia, Georgia, Belarus, Netherlands, Hungary, France, Belgium, Latvia, North Macedonia.
Preliminary round (draw 7 December 2021, matches 5–12 April 2022)
- The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four teams, played as mini-tournaments.
- Group winners and runners-up progressed to main round along with the best third-placed team (Norway).
Group A
Through to main round: Germany (hosts), Montenegro
Also in group: Gibraltar, San Marino
Group B
Through to main round: Denmark, Cyprus, Norway (hosts)
Also in group: Malta
Group C
Through to main round: Armenia, Kosovo
Also in group: Bulgaria (hosts), Scotland
Group D
Through to main round: Lithuania (hosts), Israel
Also in group: Turkey, Northern Ireland
Group E
Through to main round: Sweden (hosts), Austria
Also in group: Albania, Andorra
Group F
Through to main round: Moldova (hosts), Greece
Also in group: Switzerland, Estonia
Main round (draw 8 June 2022, matches between 17 September 2022–8 March 2023)
- The 36 teams competed in 12 groups of three teams, played home and away.
- The 12 group winners and four best runners-up (Azerbaijan, Finland, Serbia, Slovenia) progressed directly to the elite round.
- The remaining eight runners-up entered main round play-offs.
Group 1
Through to elite round: Spain
Through to main round play-offs: Moldova
Also in group: Cyprus
Group 2
Through to elite round: Georgia
Through to main round play-offs: Belgium
Also in group: Austria
Group 3
Through to elite round: Armenia
Through to main round play-offs: Czechia
Also in group: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group 4
Through to elite round: Portugal
Through to main round play-offs: Lithuaniua
Also in group: Belarus
Group 5
Through to elite round: Kazakhstan, Slovenia
Also in group: Montenegro
Group 6
Through to elite round: Poland, Azerbaijan
Also in group: Greece
Group 7
Through to elite round: Croatia
Through to main round play-offs: Hungary
Also in group: Israel
Group 8
Through to elite round: Romania, Finland
Also in group: Denmark
Group 9
Through to elite round: France, Serbia
Also in group: Norway
Group 10
Through to elite round: Italy
Through to main round play-offs: Sweden
Also in group: North Macedonia
Group 11
Through to elite round: Ukraine
Through to main round play-offs: Netherlands
Also in group: Kosovo
Group 12
Through to elite round: Slovakia
Through to main round play-offs: Germany
Also in group: Latvia
Main round play-offs (draw 10 March 2023, matches 12–19 April 2023)
- The eight team were drawn into four ties, played home and away.
- The winners of the ties completed the elite round line-up.
Belgium 5-5agg, 4-3pens Hungary
Netherlands 11-3agg Moldova
Sweden 4-8agg Germany
Czechia 7-3agg Lithuania
Elite round (draw 5 July 2023, matches 15 September–20 December 2023)
- The 20 teams were drawn into five groups of four teams, played home and away.
- The five group winners qualify directly for the finals.
- The four best runners-up enter the elite round play-offs.
Group A
Qualified for finals: Kazakhstan
Through to elite round play-offs: Netherlands
Also in group: Romania, Azerbaijan
Group B
Qualified for finals: Ukraine
Through to elite round play-offs: Poland
Also in group: Serbia, Belgium
Group C:
Qualified for finals: France
Through to elite round play-offs: Croatia
Also in group: Slovakia, Germany
Group D
Qualified for finals: Spain
Also in group: Italy, Slovenia, Czechia
Group E
Qualified for finals: Portugal
Through to elite round play-offs: Finland
Also in group: Georgia, Armenia
Elite round play-offs (draw 25 January 2024, matches 8–17 April 2024)
- The four teams (Croatia, Finland, Netherlands, Poland) were drawn into two ties.
- The winners of the ties qualified for the finals.
Netherlands 5-5agg, 5-4pens Finland
Poland 4-5agg Croatia
World Cup roll of honour
2021: Portugal 2-1 Argentina (Lithuania)
2016: Argentina 5-4 Russia (Colombia)
2012: Brazil 3-2aet Spain (Thailand)
2008: Brazil 2-2, 4-3pens Spain (Brazil)
2004: Spain 2-1 Italy (Chinese Taipei)
2000: Spain 4-3 Brazil (Guatemala)
1996: Brazil 6-4 Spain (Spain)
1992: Brazil 4-1 United States (Hong Kong)
1989: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands (Netherlands)