Organisers have revealed the official match ball to be used at September’s FIFA Futsal Men’s World Cup in Uzbekistan.
The Futsal Whites are among the 24 nations going to the tournament, the first time New Zealand has reached the finals.
Drawing on the event’s “Masters of Speed” motto, the design reflects the fast-paced nature of futsal, as well as Uzbekistan’s rich cultural heritage.
Five eye-catching interpretations of kalampir peppers — a key ingredient in traditional Uzbek cuisine — adorn the ball, each one masterfully crafted in a way that represents a player in motion, never standing still, just like on the futsal pitch.
The capsicum also forms a striking part of the competition’s official emblem, which is shaped like the FIFA Futsal World Cup Trophy, with five forms of the kalampir peppers forming a ball at the top.
The new match ball will make its official debut when the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan — the first FIFA tournament to be held in Central Asia — kicks off in Bukhara and the capital, Tashkent, on September 14, 2024.
Main photo: The official match ball. Photo credit: FIFA.
The eastern city of Andijan completes the trio of host cities for the 24-team competition. The 2024 edition will be the tenth in FIFA Futsal World Cup history, and will run till October 6, 2024.
Futsal has grown rapidly in Uzbekistan and across Central Asia over the last decade. The White Wolves participated in the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time in 2016 and went on to reach the knockout stage in 2021, losing one of the most pulsating games in the tournament’s history 9-8 to IR Iran in the last 16.
Uzbekistan will be joined at the competition by title holders Portugal, record five-time winners Brazil (1989, 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012), two-time champions Spain (2000 and 2004), 2016 winners Argentina, and first-time participants Afghanistan, France, New Zealand and Tajikistan.
Angola, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Guatemala, IR Iran, Kazakhstan, Libya, Morocco, the Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela round out the line-up, having successfully negotiated a 121-team qualifying field.
Earlier this year, the first-ever FIFA Futsal World Ranking was published for both the men’s and the women’s game, with the top four teams — Brazil, Portugal, Spain and IR Iran — heading to Uzbekistan next month.
The launch of the ranking was a major milestone and reinforced futsal’s position as a rapidly expanding version of the beautiful game, which more countries than ever before are playing.
Tickets for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 are on sale now and are selling fast.
Fans interested in seeing the world’s best compete for glory in Uzbekistan in September and October can purchase their tickets by visiting www.fifa.com/tickets.
Acknowledgement
We are grateful to FIFA for providing information for this story.
Tournament draw
# indicates current rating in latest FIFA world rankings
Group A
- Uzbekistan (#11)
- Netherlands (#36)
- Paraguay (#13)
- Costa Rica (#31)
Group B
- Brazil (#1)
- Cuba (#78)
- Croatia (#16)
- Thailand (#9)
Group C
- Argentina (#5)
- Ukraine (#12)
- Afghanistan (#30)
- Angola (#47)
Group D
- Spain (#3)
- Kazakhstan (#8)
- New Zealand (#19)
- Libya (#50)
Group E
- Portugal (#2)
- Panama (#44)
- Tajikistan (#34)
- Morocco (#6)
Group F
- IR Iran (#4)
- Venezuela (#21)
- Guatemala (#40)
- France (#10)
Group fixtures
Game to be played on Sunday September 15, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand v Libya
Andijan Universal Sports Complex, Andijan, Uzbekistan, 10pm (NZT)
Game to be played on Thursday September 19, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand v Spain
Andijan Universal Sports Complex, Andijan, Uzbekistan, 1am (NZT)
Game to be played on Saturday September 21, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand v Kazakhstan
Humo Arena, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 10.30pm (NZT)
About the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup
The six group winners, six runners-up and the four best third-placed teams will go into a Round of 16 knockout stage.
The winners go forward to quarter-finals, before sudden death semi-finals and the final.
Host cities
The three host cities for the FIFA Futsal World Cup, the first FIFA event to be staged in a Central Asian country, have been decided, with the capital, Tashkent, being joined by the ancient Silk Road trading centre of Bukhara and the city of Andijan in the Fergana Valley.
Champions
1989: Brazil
1992: Brazil
1996: Brazil
2000: Spain
2004: Spain
2008: Brazil
2012: Brazil
2016: Argentina
2021: Portugal
Golden Ball winners
1989: Victor Hermans (Netherlands)
1992: Jorginho (Brazil)
1996: Manoel Tobias (Brazil)
2000: Manoel Tobias (Brazil)
2004: Falcao (Brazil)
2008: Falcao (Brazil)
2012: Neto (Brazil)
2016: Fernando Wilhelm (Argentina)
2021: Ricardinho (Portugal)
Most participations at a FIFA Futsal World Cup
Not including Uzbekistan 2024
9 – Spain
9 – Argentina
8 – IR Iran
7 – Australia
7 – Egypt
7 – Italy
7 – Paraguay
7 – Russia
6 – Portugal
6 – Thailand
6 – USA
5 – Costa Rica
5 – Cuba
5 – Guatemala
5 – Japan
5 – Ukraine
4 – Czechia
4 – Netherlands
4 – Solomon Islands
3 – Belgium
3 – China PR
3 – Kazakhstan
3 – Morocco
3 – Panama
2 – Colombia
2 – Libya
2 – Serbia
2 – Uzbekistan
2 – Vietnam
1 – Algeria
1 – Angola
1 – Azerbaijan
1 – Canada
1 – Chinese Taipei
1 – Croatia
1 – Denmark
1 – Hungary
1 – Kuwait
1 – Lithuania
1 – Malaysia
1 – Mexico
1 – Mozambique
1 – Nigeria
1 – Poland
1 – Saudi Arabia
1 – Venezuela
1 – Zimbabwe
This story was first published on August 28, 2024.
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