Meet the Futsal Champions League semi-finalists: Cartagena, Kairat Almaty, Palma, Sporting CP

UEFA Futsal Champions League holders Illes Balears Palma will compete in the 2024/25 finals alongside fellow two-time champions Sporting CP and Kairat Almaty, plus debutants Cartagena Costa Calida after the quartet won their elite round groups.

The knockout finals are on 1 or 2 and 3 or 4 May, with the hosts and exact dates to be confirmed.

Cartagena Costa Calida (ESP)

Road to the finals
Main round Group 1 winners (played in Roosdaal):
D1-1 vs Record Bielsko-Biała, W4-1 vs FC Hit, D4-4 vs Sporting Anderlecht
Elite round Group A winners (played in Cartagena):
W8-1 vs Catania, W4-1 vs Riga Futsal Club, W6-1 vs United Galati

Top scorer: Pablo Ramirez 5
Previous best: First entry

• Cartagena hope to emulate Castellón (2002), Sinara Ekaterinburg (2008), Montesilvano (2011), Barça (2012), Ugra Yugorsk (2016) and Palma (2023) by winning the title in their debut season.
• Cartegana coach Duda was previously in charge of Murcia FS, leading them to the 2008 final but losing on penalties to Ekaterinburg.
• Cartagena qualified with victory in the Spanish play-off final against Murcia. That ended a streak where Barça, Inter or Murcia had won the title every year since Castellón's last triumph on 2001.
• Tomaz Braga was part of the Palma team that won this title on debut in 2023 before moving to Cartagena that summer. .Darío Gil (Murcia in 2020) and Waltinho (Sporting in 2022) are past runners-up and Souheil Mouhoudine played in the 2022 finals for ACCS (losing to Waltinho's Sporting).

Cartagena made the finals on debutCartagena Costa Calida

Illes Balears Palma (ESP, holders)

Road to the finals
Main round Group 3 winners (played in Palma de Mallorca):
W9-1 vs MNK Dinamo, W4-0 vs United Galati, W5-1 vs Dobovec
Elite round Group D winners (played in Palma de Mallorca):
W4-1 vs Semey, W4-1 vs Lučenec, D3-3 vs Record Bielsko-Biała

Top scorer: Fabinho 9
Previous best: Winners (2023, 2024)
2023/24: Winners (W5-1 vs Barça)
Semi-final record: W2 L0

Previous final tournament appearances
2024: Winners (W5-1 vs Barça, Yerevan)
2023: Winners (W1-1aet, 5-3pens vs Sporting CP, Palma de Mallorca), hosts

• In their third European season, aiming to become the first club to win the trophy three years in a row. Castellón (in the inaugural finals of 2002 and 2003) and Inter FS (in 2017 and 2018) currently share the record of two consecutive victories.
• Equalising soon after falling behind late on in their decisive elite round match with Record, Palma are now unbeaten in their 22 European games to date, breaking the record of 21 jointly held by Castellón, who did not suffer defeat in any of their 21 matches over the first three editions of the old UEFA Futsal Cup, and also Barça (a streak ended by Palma in the 2024 final).
• Mario Rivillos, a 2017 winner with Inter before aiding Palma in 2003 and 2004, can equal the record of four personal triumphs currently shared by Gabriel, Sergio Lozano and Ortiz. Goalkeepers Luan Muller and Carlos Barrón are also aiming for a third straight triumph with Palma. Neguinho, Bruno Gomes, Marcelo, Jesús Gordillo. Fabinho was a winner in 2023 but injured in 2024, when Ernesto missed the final suspended.
• Antonio Vadillo, in charge for both previous Palma triumphs, can equal the record of three titles for a coach held by Jesús Velasco (winner with Inter in 2017 and 2018, and Barça in 2022 before losing to Vadillo's Palma in the 2024 final).

Kairat Almaty (KAZ)

Road to the finals
Main round Group 4 winners (played in Almaty):
W4-0 vs Haladas, W5-1 vs Semey, W3-2 vs Sporting CP
Elite round Group B winners (played in Zagreb):
W4-2 vs Etoile Lavalloise, W1-0 vs MNK Olmissum, W5-1 vs MNK Dinamo

Top scorers: Allison, Kevin Arrieta, Edson 4
Previous best: Winners (2013, 2015)
2023/24: Elite round
Semi-final record: W3 L7

Previous final tournament appearances
2021: Semi-finalists (eight-team finals)
2019: Runners-up (L1-2 vs Sporting CP, Almaty), hosts
2017: Third place, hosts
2015: Winners (W2-1 vs Barça, Lisbon)
2014: Fourth place
2013: Winners (W4-3 vs FC Dynamo, Tbilisi)
2011: Third place, hosts
2009: Third place
2008: Fourth place
2006: Semi-finalists (no final tournament, two-legged semi-finals)

• Kairat (like Sporting) are aiming to be the first club from outside Spain to win this competition three times.
• Kairat, who have made the elite round in all 18 seasons under this format (and got past it nine time), have played a record 109 matches in this competition from an unmatched 21 entries.
• Only Edson, Birzhan Orazov, Narun Serikov and Dauren Tursagulov remain from the team that lost their last semi-final to Barça in 2021 (among others Higuita – whose new club Semey were beaten by Kairat in the main round – and Douglas Junior both left at the end of last season).
• Kairat were the only team to qualify from the elite round with a game to spare.

Sporting CP (POR)

Road to the finals
Main round Group 4 runners-up (played in Almaty):
W6-4 vs Semey, W2-0 vs Haladas, L2-3 vs Kairat Almaty
Elite round Group C winners (played in Lisbon):
W4-1 vs Sporting Anderlecht, W7-2 vs Plzeň, D4-4 vs Braga

Top scorer: Taynan 6
Previous best: Winners (2019, 2021)
2023/24: Fourth place
Semi-final record: W7 L4

Previous final tournament appearances
2024: Fourth place
2023: Runners-up (L1-1aet, 3-5pens vs Palma, Palma de Mallorca)
2022: Runners-up: (L0-4 vs Barça, Riga)
2021: Winners (W4-3 vs Barça, Zadar, eight-team finals)
2019: Winners (W2-1 vs Kairat, Almaty)
2018: Runners-up (L2-5 vs Inter FS, Zaragoza)
2017: Runners-up (L0-7 vs Inter FS, Almaty)
2015: Third place, hosts
2012: Fourth place
2011: Runners-up (L2-5 vs Montesilvano, Almaty)
2002: Semi-finalists, hosts (eight-team finals)

• Sporting CP are into the finals for a record 12th time (11 in the post-2006/07 format and also hosting the eight-team final tournament that concluded the inaugural 2001/02 edition).
• If Sporting CP win their semi-final, they will be in the decider for the eighth time, equalling Inter's record.
• João Matos (who has made a record 89 competition appearances) is set for his 11th final tournament with Sporting CP. Nuno Dias is set for his tenth final tournament as Sporting coach and like Palma's Vadillo is aiming for a record-equalling third personal triumph in charge.
• During the main round, two-time champions Sporting CP became only the second team to pass 100 matches in this competition after Kairat. Sporting CP already had the most wins (now 75) and goals (now 464).