WATCH: Futsal Whites prepare for their first-ever FIFA Futsal World Cup

posted in: FIFA Futsal World Cup, Futsal, National teams, News |

The New Zealand men’s futsal team are getting ready for their debut match at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan.

The squad arrived in Uzbekistan about four days before most of their travelling baggage and head coach Marvin Eakins says it meant a few trips to the local market for players to top up on some essentials.

Main photo: The Futsal Whites in Uzbekistan. Photo credit: NZF Futsal.

“I guess that kind of stuff, as much as it’s behind the scenes, it’s directly affected the players and our day-to-day look so it’s not ideal,” he told OFC Media.

The Futsal Whites meet Libya in their opening game on Sunday (10pm NZT).

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, 3am (NZT)

Game to be played on Sunday September 22, 2024

FIFA Futsal Men’s World Cup

New Zealand v Kazakhstan
Humo Arena, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 12.30am (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 – Brazil
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 – 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
3 – Uruguay
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 – Hong Kong
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 May 27, 2024.

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