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2024 Futsal World Cup qualifying: How it worked, format, calendar

Seven European teams will compete at the final tournament after qualifying finished in April.

Portugal beat holders Argentina to win the 2021 World Cup
Portugal beat holders Argentina to win the 2021 World Cup FIFA via Getty Images

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.

*Russia excluded

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)

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