UEFA Futsal Champions League preliminary and main round draws

The UEFA Futsal Champions League groups are set for the preliminary round in August and main round in October.

Each of the 56 entrants will begin in one of these rounds. The best-ranked eligible associations in the UEFA futsal national team coefficient rankings at the end of April 2023* enter two representatives (Portugal, Spain – including holders Illes Balears Palma Futsal – Kazakhstan and Croatia), with one club apiece from the other nations.

*Russia excluded

The 24 teams with the highest coefficients (including Palma) receive byes to the main round, which runs from 22 to 27 October.

The other 32 teams start in the preliminary round, which runs from 21 to 25 August, aiming to fill the remaining main round places. The main round leads to November and December's elite round, which will determine the four contenders for the knockout finals in May.

Preliminary round groups: 21–25 August

UEFA

Group A: KMF Titograd (MNE), Blue Magic FC Dublin (IRL), Futsal Club FORCA (MKD, hosts), Ranger's FC (AND) 

Group B: Futsal Minerva (SUI), Amigo Northwest (BUL, hosts), FC Fiorentino (SMR), Pro Futsal Cymru (WAL)

Group C: Akaa Futsal (FIN), Tirana Futsal (ALB, hosts), TSV Weilimdorf (GER), Ísbjörninn (ISL)

Group D: Tigers Roermond (NED), Yerevan Futsal Club (ARM), Manchester Futsal Club (ENG, hosts), Istanbul Şişli SK (TUR)

Group E: Catania C/5 (ITA), Hjørring Futsal Klub (DEN, hosts), Utleira Idrettslag (NOR), Europa FC (GIB)

Group F: FC Diamant Linz (AUT, hosts), AEL Limassol (CYP), AEK Futsal Club (GRE), Aberdeen Futsal Academy (SCO)

Group G: MNK Široki Brijeg (BIH), NV Georgians (GEO), FC Clic Chişinău (MDA, hosts), Maccabi Netanya Futsal (ISR)

Group H: Araz Naxçivan (AZE), Uddevalla Futsal Club (SWE, hosts), Sillamäe Silla FC (EST), Sparta Belfast (NIR)

The eight group winners progress to the main round, Path B.

Main round groups: 22–27 October

Path A

Group 1: Cartagena Costa Cálida (ESP), Sporting Anderlecht Futsal (BEL, hosts), FC HIT Kyiv (UKR), Record Bielsko-Biała (POL)

Group 2: Sporting Clube de Braga (POR), MNK Olmissum (CRO), SK Plzeň (CZE), FC Prishtina 01 (KOS, hosts)

Group 3: AE Illes Balears Palma Futsal (ESP, hosts/holders), Futsal Klub Dobovec (SVN), MNK Futsal Dinamo (CRO), United Galati (ROU)

Group 4: Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR), Kairat Almaty (KAZ, hosts), Haladás VSE (HUN), Futsal Club Semey (KAZ)

The top three in each group progress to the elite round.

UEFA

Path B

Group 5: Etoile Lavalloise (FRA, hosts), FC Stalitsa Minsk (BLR), Preliminary round Group B winners, Preliminary round Group H winners

Group 6: Riga Futsal Club (LVA), KMF FON Banjica (SRB, hosts), Preliminary round Group D winners, Preliminary round Group A winners

Group 7: Luxol St. Andrews Futsal (MLT), Futsal Klub Lučenec (SVK, hosts), Preliminary round Group G winners, Preliminary round Group C winners

Group 8 (hosts tbc): Kauno Žalgiris (LTU), FC Differdange 03 (LUX), Preliminary round Group E winners, Preliminary round Group F winners

The four group winners progress to the elite round.

Team facts

• Palma have won the European title for the last two seasons, the only team to lift the trophy in their debut pair of campaigns since Castellón in the inaugural 2001/02 and 2002/03 editions.
• Two-time winners Kairat Almaty and Sporting CP (the only one of last season's final four other than Palma to qualify) are the other past champions involved.
• Anderlecht and Araz are past semi-finalists. Dobovec reached the one-off quarter-final round in 2020/21.
• Kairat are first club to enter 21 seasons of UEFA futsal competition. Araz make their 19th appearance.
• Kairat face the side that ended their 20-year run as Kazakhstan champions, Semey. Earlier this week Semey confirmed the signing of long-time Kairat goalkeeper Higuita.
• Palma beat Dobovec in the 2022/23 elite round. Dobovec drew 3-3 with United Galati in last season's main round Dobovec equalised in the 37th minute and pipped United Galati to third place on goal difference).
• Sporting beat Kairat 2-1 after extra time in the 2019 final in Almaty, the scoreline having been reversed when they met in the main round in Pristina. Sporting previously beat Kairat in the 2011 semis in Almaty 3-2.
• Haladás drew 2-2 with Kairat in last season's main round but then lost 7-2 to Sporting in the elite round.
• Kauno and Differdange drew 3-3 in the 2017/18 preliminary round. Differdange scored twice in the final minute just after going 3-1 down. For both teams it was their first-ever European point.
• Titograd beat Blue Magic in the 2015/16 and 2021/22 preliminary rounds (Titograd the hosts on both those occasions).
• Minerva beat Fiorentino in the 2021/22 and 2023/24 preliminary rounds.
• Debuts: Aberdeen Futsal Academy, Cartagena, Catania, Clic Chișinău, FORCA, Hjørring, Manchester, Maccabi Netanya, Pro Futsal Cymru, Ranger's, Semey, Sillamäe Silla, Siroki Brijeg, Tigers Roermond
• Cartagena winning their first Spanish title to join holders Palma in the competition means that this is only the second edition (after the inaugural 2001/02 campaign) to not involve any of Barça, Inter FS and Murcia FS.

Calendar

Preliminary & main round draw: 4 July
Preliminary round: 20–25 August
Main round: 22–27 October
Elite round draw: 31 October
Elite round: 26 November–1 December
Finals draw: TBC
Finals: 1 or 2 & 3 or 4 May

All dates subject to change

How the draws worked

Preliminary round:

Draw procedure

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

Based on previous decisions taken by the UEFA Executive Committee, clubs from Armenia and Azerbaijan could not be drawn in the same group.

Seeding pots

Pot 1: Hosts
FC Diamant Linz (AUT, seeding position 1)
Tirana Futsal (ALB, 2)
Amigo Northwest (BUL, 2)
Hjørring Futsal Klub (DEN, 2)
Uddevalla Futsal Club (SWE, 2)
FC Clic Chişinău (MDA, 3)
Futsal Club FORCA (MKD, 3)
Manchester Futsal Club (ENG, 3)

Pot 2: Seeding position 4
Ranger's FC (AND)
Aberdeen Futsal Academy (SCO)
Pro Futsal Cymru (WAL)
Sparta Belfast (NIR)
Istanbul Şişli SK (TUR)
Ísbjörninn (ISL)
Europa FC (GIB)
Maccabi Netanya Futsal (ISR)

Pot 3: Seeding position 3
TSV Weilimdorf (GER)
AEK Futsal Club (GRE)
Utleira Idrettslag (NOR)
Sillamäe Silla FC (EST)
FC Fiorentino (SMR)

Pot 4: Seeding position 2
Yerevan Futsal Club (ARM)
NV Georgians (GEO)
Blue Magic FC Dublin (IRL)
AEL Limassol (CYP)

Pot 5: Seeding position 1
Catania C/5 (ITA)
Araz Naxçivan (AZE)
KMF Titograd (MNE)
MNK Široki Brijeg (BIH)
Futsal Minerva (SUI)
Akaa Futsal (FIN)
Tigers Roermond (NED)

Main round:

Draw procedure

Four nations – Portugal, Spain Kazakhstan and Croatia – enter two clubs, and those countries' eight representatives, including holders Palma, are among the 24 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 Palma, 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 sides were designated as hosts and drawn separately, while maintaining their seeding positions, and placed in Groups 1 to 4 in ascending order.
• The remaining teams were drawn in pots representing seeding positions 4 to 1 in ascending order. In each case, teams were drawn and placed in the appropriate positions in Groups 1 to 4, missing out any group which already had a host assigned to that position.
• There was no country protection.
• The top three clubs in each of the four groups proceed to the elite round.

Seeding pots

Pot 10: Hosts
AE Illes Balears Palma Futsal (ESP, holders, 1)
Sporting Anderlecht Futsal (BEL, 2)
Kairat Almaty (KAZ, 2)
FC Prishtina 01 (KOS, 4)

Pot 11: Seeding position 4
Record Bielsko-Biała (POL)
Futsal Club Semey (KAZ)
United Galati (ROU)

Pot 12: Seeding position 3
Haladás VSE (HUN)
SK Plzeň (CZE)
FC Hit Kyiv (UKR)
MNK Futsal Dinamo (CRO)

Pot 13: Seeding position 2
MNK Olmissum (CRO)
Futsal Klub Dobovec (SVN)

Pot 14: Seeding position 1
Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)
Cartagena Costa Cálida (ESP)
Sporting Clube de Braga (POR)

Path B

• The clubs ranked 12th to 15th, and 20th to 23rd, were 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 3rd in position 2. The remaining preliminary round winners occupied a further pot to fill positions 3 and 4.
• Three clubs were designated as hosts and drawn separately, while maintaining their seeding positions, and placed in Groups 5 to 7 in ascending order. Group 8 is without a pre-allocated host and the home team will be confirmed later.
• The eight preliminary round winners were drawn into position 4 then position 3 in Groups 5 to 8.
• The remaining teams were drawn in pots representing seeding positions 2 to 1 in ascending order. In each case teams were drawn and placed in the appropriate positions in Groups 5 to 8, missing out any group which already had a host assigned to that position.
• The winners of each of the four groups move on to the elite round.

Seeding pots

Pot 6: Hosts
Etoile Lavalloise (FRA, 1)
Futsal Klub Lučenec (SVK, 2)
KMF FON Banjica (SRB, 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
FC Stalitsa Minsk (BLR)
FC Differdange 03 (LUX)

Pot 9: Seeding position 1
Riga Futsal Club (LVA)
Luxol St. Andrews Futsal (MLT)
Kauno Žalgiris (LTU)