Author: anders

You’d have to travel to Asia to truly understand the passion that large parts of the continent have for football. While South Korea are the only country in the continent to ever reach a semi-final of an 11-a-side World Cup, the determination and love for the game demonstrated by supporters is unique in character and perhaps rivals that of continents we associate more closely with footballing success. It is in this sense, a surprise that FIFA has persistently voted against this vast part of the world, which has such joy and love for the game, hosting international tournaments. While Japan…

In football, European nations have always had a level of dominance in international tournaments. The football-obsessed continent has had a nation victorious at a FIFA World Cup on 12 occasions, a greater number than any other continent on earth. Typically, European nations are well represented in the semi-finals, too, with two or three usually making up the final four. The same can’t be said about the continent’s success in futsal, however. Despite Europe regularly being considered as the world’s epicentre for footballing culture, it has always been playing catch up to futsal’s early adopters, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina in the…

This Autumn the best futsal players and nations the world has to offer will return to the forefront of media attention, as Uzbekistan host the 10th edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup. Uzbekistan, hosting their first ever FIFA tournament in any format across football or futsal, will have the opportunity to demonstrate to the world why they’re a hidden hotbed of futsal lovers. The Central Asian nation are among the favourites to win the ongoing Futsal Asian Cup 2024 in Thailand and will be quietly confident of upsetting a few of the world’s heavy players as they return to…

The OFC Futsal Nations Cup is the major international tournament for Oceanian countries to compete in for a chance of silverware and qualification to the following FIFA Futsal World Cup. Australia, who have also participated in the AFC Asia Cup on occasion, largely dominated the tournament’s early history, winning four of the first five OFC Futsal Nations Cups. However, in recent years the tournaments have become vastly more competitive and has seen several different winners. However, the tournament also serves as an opportunity to qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup, which means it’s so much more than simply winning…

The 2024 CONCACAF Championships, hosted in Nicaragua, served as the sole entry route for Caribbean, Central, and North Americans to participate in Uzbekistan’s FIFA Futsal World Cup, taking place later this year. While the CONCACAF region has football-obsessed nations like Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, it’s translation into futsal, or at least widespread awareness of the court-based sport, can be somewhat variable. Mexico, for example, an ever present in the knock-out stages of football’s FIFA World Cup, have only qualified for a singular futsal international tournament, Thailand’s 2012 World Cup, which saw the famous ‘El Tricolor’ lose every single game…

While futsal tends to have a greater prominence in countries with warmer climates such as Brazil and Argentina, where the persistent heat throughout the year prevents the growth of football-friendly grass on 11-a-side grassroots pitches, forcing aspiring footballers to take to the courts and streets to practice their skills, we don’t tend to hear much about the African nations’ relationship with futsal. It is no secret that many parts of Africa are melting pots of footballing talent. It is a continent that has produced dozens of world-class players, such as Yaya Toure, Samuel Eto, and Dider Drogba, who’ve helped their…

The race to the FIFA Futsal World Cup is heating up as the elite round of qualifiers nears its conclusion. With matches played in October and the final two matchdays set for 14 to 20 December, the competition is fierce. Highlights: Upcoming Fixtures: The next set of matches promises more thrilling action, with teams battling for the top spots and a chance to qualify for the World Cup finals. Insights: Results & Standings Group A Matches: Group A Standings: TeamPointsGoal DifferenceKazakhstan126Romania72Netherlands30Azerbaijan1-8 Group B Matches: Group B Standings: TeamPointsGoal DifferencePoland97Ukraine712Serbia5-4Belgium1-15 Group C Matches: Group C Standings: TeamPointsGoal DifferenceFrance108Croatia64Slovakia4-4Germany3-8 Group D Matches:…