UEFA Futsal Champions League preliminary and main round draws made

The UEFA Futsal Champions League season has taken shape with the preliminary and main round draws.

Each of the 56 entrants from 52 associations will be involved in one or either round. Four nations (Spain, Portugal, Kazakhstan and Croatia) enter two clubs and those countries' eight representatives – including holders Barça – are among the 24 sides with the highest coefficients who receive byes to the main round, which runs from 25 to 30 October.

The other 32 teams start in the preliminary round, which runs from 23 to 28 August, aiming to fill the remaining main round places. The main round leads to November's elite round, which will decide the four contenders for the knockout finals in spring.

Preliminary round draw

Preliminary round groupsUEFA

• Games 23–28 August
• The eight group winners progress to the main round Path B

Group A: Kampuksen Dynamo (FIN), KMF Titograd (MNE, hosts), Encamp (AND), Ísbjörninn (ISL)

Group B: JB Futsal Gentofte (DEN), Fortuna Wiener Neustadt (AUT, hosts), PYF Saltires (SCO), Amigo Northwest (BUL)

Group C: Yerevan (ARM, hosts), London Helvecia (ENG), Petro-w (LVA), Europa (GIB)

Group D: Futsal Minerva (SUI, hosts), Loznica-Grad 2018 (SRB), Vesterålen Futsal (NOR), Folgore (SMR)

Group E: Piast Gliwice (POL), Doukas (GRE, hosts), Nistru-Chişinău (MDA), Technion Haifa (ISR)

Group F: Georgians (GEO), Stuttgart (GER), Örebro (SWE), Istanbul Şişli (TUR, hosts*)

Group G: Differdange (LUX), APOEL (CYP), Tirana Futsal (ALB, hosts), Belfast United (NIR)

Group H: Lučenec (SVK), Blue Magic FC Dublin (IRL), Cosmos Tallinn (EST, hosts), Futsal Club Cardiff (WAL)

*New hosts

Main round draw

• Games 25–30 October

Path A

• Top three teams in each group progress to elite round

Group 1: Mallorca Palma Futsal (ESP), Kairat Almaty (KAZ), Sporting Anderlecht Futsal (BEL, hosts), Sporting Club de Paris (FRA)

Group 2: Sporting CP (POR), Ayat (KAZ), Novo Vrijeme Makarska (CRO, hosts), Futsal Pula (CRO)

Group 3: Barça (ESP, holders), Dobovec (SVN), Hovocubo (NED), Luxol St. Andrews (MLT, hosts)

Group 4: Benfica (POR), Kherson (UKR), Haladás (HUN), United Galati (ROU, hosts)

Path B

• Group winners progress to elite round

Main round Path B groupsUEFA

Group 5: Mostar SG (BIH, hosts), Araz Naxçivan (AZE), Preliminary round Group D winners, Preliminary round Group F winners

Group 6: Stalitsa Minsk (BLR), Liqeni (KOS, hosts), Preliminary round Group B winners, Preliminary round Group E winners

Group 7: Kauno Žalgiris (LTU, hosts), Città di Eboli (ITA), Preliminary round Group C winners, Preliminary round Group A winners

Group 8: Chrudim (CZE), Shkupi 1927 (MKD, hosts), Preliminary round Group G winners, Preliminary round Group H winners

Contenders

• Holders Barça are joined by fellow former winners Sporting (whom they beat in the 2022 final in Riga), Kairat and Benfica. Barça will aim to match Inter FS's record of five titles.
• Kairat are making a record 19th appearance, 2014 bronze-medallists Araz their 17th appearance, and Encamp their 16th.
• Debuts: Amigo Northwest, Cardiff, Città di Eboli, Folgore, Fortuna Wiener Neustadt, Ísbjörninn, Istanbul Şişli, Loznica-Grad 2018, Örebro, Palma, Piast Gliwice, Pula, Nistru-Chişinău, Stuttgart, Technion Haifa, Vesterålen and Yerevan.
• Anderlecht previously entered as Halle-Gooik.
• Croatia have two entrants for the first time (Novo Vrijeme Makarska and Futsal Pula), and they will meet in main round Group 2. 

Calendar

Preliminary round: 23–28 August
Main round: 25–30 October
Elite round draw: 8 November
Elite round: 22–27 November
Finals draw: TBC
Finals: TBC April/May

How the draws worked

Preliminary round

Draw procedure

• The clubs were split into four seeding positions based on their coefficient.
• Eight teams starting in the preliminary round were pre-selected as mini-tournament hosts and drawn separately, before being placed in their appropriate seeding position.
• The remaining sides in seeding position 4 were drawn next and placed in the remaining slots for position 4 in the groups.
• The remaining clubs in position 3, position 2 and position 1 were drawn to fill the remaining places in the groups.
• The eight group winners progress to the main round Path B.

Seeding pots

Pot 1: Hosts
Futsal Minerva (SUI, seeding position 1)
Yerevan (ARM, 1)
Doukas (GRE, 2)
Stuttgart (GER, 2)
Fortuna Wiener Neustadt (AUT, 2)
KMF Titograd (MNE, 2)
Cosmos Tallinn (EST, 3)
Tirana Futsal (ALB, 3)

Pot 2: Seeding position 4
Istanbul Şişli (TUR)
Futsal Club Cardiff (WAL)
Technion Haifa (ISR)
Amigo Northwest (BUL)
Europa (GIB)
Folgore (SMR)
Belfast United (NIR)
Ísbjörninn (ISL)

Pot 3: Seeding position 3
Örebro (SWE)
Nistru-Chişinău (MDA)
Petro-w (LVA)
PYF Saltires (SCO)
Encamp (AND)
Vesterålen Futsal (NOR)

Pot 4: Seeding position 2
London Helvecia (ENG)
Loznica-Grad 2018 (SRB)
Blue Magic FC Dublin (IRL)
APOEL (CYP)

Pot 5: Seeding position 1
Kampuksen Dynamo (FIN)
Georgians (GEO)
JB Futsal Gentofte (DEN)
Lučenec (SVK)
Piast Gliwice (POL)
Differdange (LUX)

Main round

Draw procedure

Four nations – Spain, Portugal, Kazakhstan and Croatia – entered two clubs, and those countries' eight representatives, including holders Barça, were among the teams with the highest coefficients, receiving byes to the main round. The remaining places in the main round are filled by the eight preliminary round group winners.

Path A

• Holders Barça, the next 11 top-ranked clubs and further teams ranked 16th to 19th are involved in this path.
• Clubs were allocated one of four seeding positions as per their coefficients.
• Four clubs were designated as hosts and drawn separately, while maintaining their seeding positions.
• There was no country protection.
• The top three teams in each of the four groups proceed to the elite round.

Seeding pots

Pot 10: Hosts
Novo Vrijeme Makarska (CRO, seeding position 3)
Sporting Anderlecht Futsal (BEL, 3)
United Galati (ROU, 4)
Luxol St. Andrews (MLT, 4)

Pot 11: Seeding position 4
Futsal Pula (CRO)
Sporting Club de Paris (FRA)

Pot 12: Seeding position 3
Hovocubo (NED)
Haladás (HUN)

Pot 13: Seeding position 2
Kairat Almaty (KAZ)
Dobovec (SVN)
Kherson (UKR)
Ayat (KAZ)

Pot 13: Seeding position 1
Barça (ESP, holders)
Sporting CP (POR)
Benfica (POR)
Mallorca Palma Futsal (ESP)

Path B

• The clubs ranked 12th to 15th, and 20th to 23rd, are joined by the eight preliminary round group winners.
• There were four seeding positions. The clubs ranked 12th to 15th were in position 1 and those ranked 20th to 23rd in position 2. The preliminary round winners were drawn by group into positions 4 then 3.
• Four clubs were earmarked as hosts and drawn separately, while keeping their seeding positions.
• Based on previous decisions taken by the UEFA Executive Committee, clubs from Armenia and Azerbaijan, or Kosovo and Bosnia & Herzegovina, or Kosovo and Serbia, could not be drawn into the same group.
• The winners of each of the four groups move on to the elite round.

Seeding pots

Pot 6: Hosts
Kauno Žalgiris (LTU, seeding position 1)
Mostar SG (BIH, 1)
Liqeni (KOS, 2)
Shkupi 1927 (MKD, 2)

Pot 7: Preliminary round winners (Seeding positions 3 and 4)
Preliminary round Group A winners
Preliminary round Group B winners
Preliminary round Group C winners
Preliminary round Group D winners
Preliminary round Group E winners
Preliminary round Group F winners
Preliminary round Group G winners
Preliminary round Group H winners

Pot 8: Seeding position 2
Araz Naxçivan (AZE)
Città di Eboli (ITA)

Pot 9: Seeding position 1
Chrudim (CZE)
Stalitsa Minsk (BLR)