UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 bidding process

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The UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 bidding process entails the bids for the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026. The hosting rights were given to Latvia and Lithuania on 2 December 2023, [1] [2] with Slovenia added later on to accommodate Belarus. [3] [4] [5] [2]

Contents

Hosting requirements

The tournament would continue the format of the 2022 editions, with a total of 32 matches taking place for a duration of up to 20 days, with 16 teams competing in the tournament.

The requirements for the stadiums were as follows:

Schedule

DateNotes
7 December 2022, 18:00 CET Deadline for national associations to confirm their interest to bid
12 December 2022Bid requirements are made available to the bidders
17 May 2023, 12:00 CET Preliminary bid dossier submission deadline
11 October 2023, 12:00 CET Final bid dossier submission deadline
2 December 2023Appointment of hosts of UEFA Futsal Euro 2026

Bids

The following countries applied:

Belgium

Belgium was one of the applicants for the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026. Originally working with France for a potential joint bid, [6] they decided to go alone soon after. Belgium have previously hosted the event in 2014 and the final four of the UEFA Futsal Champions League in 2002–03.

Finland

On 23 May 2023, Finland announced their candidacy for the tournament. [7] [8] Their proposed venues are the Espoo Metro Areena in Espoo and the Tampere Ice Stadium in Tampere. The Finnish Football Association states that their previous experience with hosting UEFA tournaments, such as the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and 2022 UEFA Super Cup will help their bid, alongside the Finns growing passion for futsal. Ari Lahti, chairman of the Finnish Football Association said:

We have world-class event expertise and Finland is a quarter-finalist in the previous European Futsal Men's Championship, which gives strong support to our bid. We want to strengthen the growth of futsal both in Finland and in Europe and be a close part of the international futsal community, so it was a clear decision for us to participate in the bid to host the European Championship in Finland. We were very close to getting the 2025 European Women's Championship in the Nordic countries, and the process gave us valuable information about our strengths. We have the expertise, passion and good conditions to organize the first ever European Futsal Men's Championship in Finland.

While futsal development manager, Kirsi Nummela, says:

Futsal in Finland is constantly growing and interest in our national teams is high. The men's national futsal team has already shown that it belongs to the top of Europe. The conditions in Finland allow for a successful tournament, both in terms of sport and audience, and we would be able to offer the European futsal community a great competition. Organizing a home tournament would give Finnish futsal a great opportunity to take advantage of the competition fever in the sport's rise in Finland. We would have plenty of time to strengthen the junior activities that are starting and complete other strategic projects that strengthen the sport before the tournament. When the enthusiasm for the sport brings new enthusiasts to the sport thanks to strong marketing and a great event, we would be ready to welcome players to clubs all over Finland, while also being able to offer high-quality coaching to different age groups.

Overview of venues


Venues in Finland
Espoo Tampere
Espoo Metro Areena Tampere Ice Stadium
Capacity: 8,500Capacity: 7,000
Barona-areena.JPG Hakametsa I ulkoa.jpg

France

On 17 November 2023, France announced their bid for the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026, with the capital, Paris, as the host city. [9] [10] For the bid, the French plans to have an eco-friendly and sustainable approach, with the tournament taking place within a 10km radius. This application is also part of the French Football Federation's plan to overhaul and invest in the sport. The federation also wants to use the momentum of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris to bring more sports events to France. [11] France have never hosted the event before, but has hosted the final four of the 2024–25 UEFA Futsal Champions League in Le Mans.

Overview of venues


Venues in France
Paris Paris
Adidas Arena Stade Pierre de Coubertin
Capacity: 9,000Capacity: 3,600
Paris Basketball SQBB match.jpg Coubertin Apres Travaux 20161002.jpg

Latvia and Lithuania

Latvia and Lithuania originally filed two solo bids before deciding to jointly bid. The merge happened in September 2023. [12] [13] [14] The final would be held in Riga. [15] Neither have hosted the event, but Lithuania has organised the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup, while Latvia previously held the 2019 UEFA Under-19 Futsal Championship and the final four of the 2021–22 UEFA Futsal Champions League.

Overview of venues


Venues in Latvia and Lithuania
Flag of Lithuania.svg Kaunas Flag of Latvia.svg Riga
Žalgiris Arena Xiaomi Arena
Capacity: 15,415Capacity: 9,975
Zalgirio Arena in 2023 by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg Arena Riga.jpg

Withdrawn bids

Belgium and France

Belgium and France were originally bidding together for the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026. [6] The joint bid quietly failed to materialise and both nations chose to bid alone. Belgium have previously hosted the event in 2014.

Latvia

On 8 December 2022, president of the Latvia Football Federation, Vadim Łashenko, stated that Latvia expressed an interest in hosting. [16] He further stated that they received positive feedback from UEFA after their past hosting of UEFA events and that they were negotiating with Arena Riga (later renamed Xiaomi Arena) and the Rimi Olympic Centre about hosting the competition. Regarding the bid, Vadim Łashenko said this:

“We have expressed a clear interest, desire, and readiness to organize the European final tournament in Latvia. We have already accumulated a lot of experience in organizing such events, so we want to take the next step, after the final tournament of the UEFA European U-19 Futsal Championship and The UEFA Futsal Champions League Finals, with the participation of four of the continent’s strongest clubs and many futsal stars, we have proven that our staff, the city, and the infrastructure are capable and ready to organize events of this level at the highest level. The feedback from UEFA after the international tournaments organized by the LFF in the past has been positive, so we have decided to apply for the hosting of this final tournament. In the European Championship, the 16 best teams from the entire continent would come to Latvia, and it would be the highest-level indoor football tournament organized in Latvia so far.”

Latvia have previously held the 2019 UEFA Under-19 Futsal Championship and the final four of the 2021–22 UEFA Futsal Champions League. Latvia's solo bid ended once they merged their bid with Lithuania's.

Overview of venues


Venues in Latvia
Riga Riga
Xiaomi Arena Rimi Olympic Centre
Capacity: 9,975Capacity: 6,200
Arena Riga.jpg Elektrum olimpiskais centrs.jpg

Lithuania

On 17 December 2022, Lithuania decided to apply to become the hosts. [17] [18] Lithuania have never hosted this tournament but did hold the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup. Lithuanian Football Federation general secretary, Edgaras Stankevičius said:

“In recent years, Lithuania has proven that futsal is becoming an important part of the development of our football – the selection stages of the men’s and women’s championships were held in our country more than once, not to mention the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup. During it, we gained great experience and we believe that it will help to properly organize the European Futsal Championship. It is true that we still have a lot of work to do before we succeed.”

In June 2023, after a meeting with UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, Edgaras Stankevičius said Lithuania's had a good chance of winning. [19] [20] Lithuania's solo bid ended once they merged their bid with Latvia's.

Overview of venues


Venues in Lithuania
Kaunas Vilnius
Žalgiris Arena Twinsbet Arena
Capacity: 15,415Capacity: 10,000
Zalgirio Arena in 2023 by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg Avia Solutions Group Arena (former Siemens Arena) in 2021 by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg

Host announcement

On 2 December 2023, Latvia and Lithuania were awarded the hosting rights in Hamburg, Germany. [1] [2] This marks the first time the Futsal Euro is co-hosted and the first UEFA tournament to have three nations hosting (excluding UEFA Euro 2020 as twelve cities across Europe hosted the event). This will also be the first time a senior UEFA national team tournament is held in the Baltics.

Slovenia added as a co-host

However, problems emerged with the hosting arrangement after Belarus qualified, with neither country willing to host them due to the Russo-Ukrainian war. [21] [22] UEFA was supposed to make a decision in May 2025 but it was delayed. [23] On 27 June 2025, Slovenia were added as a third co-host, with two venues in Ljubljana. [24] The plan was approved by the Slovenian government as well. [25] [26] Belarus and Kazakhstan also stated an interest in hosting the event. [27] The arrangement is very similar to the India and Pakistan cricket arrangement where neither side can play a world cup in the other country, so a neutral venue has to be found. Arena Stožice and Tivoli Arena have been selected by Slovenia.

Regarding the announcement of Slovenia becoming hosts, Slovenian Football Association president, Radenko Mijatović, said:

"We are delighted that the largest European futsal competition is returning to Slovenia. In 2018, we showed that we know how to organize a top tournament, and I am confident that we will confirm this this time as well."

Overview of venues


Venues in Slovenia
Ljubljana Ljubljana
Arena Stožice Tivoli Arena
Capacity: 12,480Capacity: 4,500
Arena Stozice.jpg Tivoli Hall panorama.jpg

References

  1. 1 2 "UEFA Euro 2024 prize money distribution system confirmed". UEFA . 2 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Istorinis UEFA sprendimas – Lietuvoje vyks 2026-ųjų Europos futsal čempionatas". www.lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  3. ↑ "The official website for European football". UEFA.com.
  4. ↑ "Futsalin EM-lopputurnaus 2026 Latviassa ja Liettuassa". Palloliitto.fi.
  5. ↑ "Préférées à la France, la Lettonie et la Lituanie organiseront l'Euro de futsal 2026". L'Équipe.
  6. 1 2 McGettigan, Stephen (May 23, 2023). "Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, France, and Belgium bid to host the 2026 UEFA Futsal EURO".
  7. ↑ "Suomi hakee futsalin EM-kisoja 2026 | Suomen Palloliitto". www.sttinfo.fi.
  8. ↑ "Suomi hakee futsalin EM-kisoja 2026". Palloliitto.fi.
  9. ↑ "La FFF candidate à l'organisation de l'Euro Futsal 2026". www.fff.fr.
  10. ↑ "The FFF candidate for the organization of the Euro Futsal 2026".
  11. ↑ "Football. Futsal : l'organisation de l'Euro-2026 serait « un point d'orgue » à son développement". www.ledauphine.com. November 21, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Lēmums par telpu futbola EURO 2026 rīkošanu gaidāms 2. Decembrī".
  13. ↑ "Latvija apvieno spēkus ar Lietuvu un grib 2026. gada Eiropas čempionātu uzņemt Rīgā un Kauņā". Sportacentrs.com. November 17, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Par 171 miljonu eiro mazāki izdevumi 2026.gada budžetā". Dienas Bizness.
  15. ↑ "UEFA atņem Rīgai telpu futbola Euro 2026 fināla rīkošanu, pievienojas trešā rīkotājvalsts". Sportacentrs.com. June 27, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Latvija piesakās uz 2026. gada Eiropas čempionāta telpu futbolā uzņemšanu". jauns.lv. December 8, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Lietuva – tarp kandidatų surengti 2026-ųjų Europos futsal čempionatą | ⚽ Eurofootball.lt". Eurofootball.lt.
  18. ↑ "Lietuva siekia surengti 2026-ųjų Europos salės futbolo čempionatą". www.lrytas.lt.
  19. ↑ "Lietuvai – daug šansų rengti 2026 m. Europos salės futbolo čempionatą". www.alfa.lt.
  20. ↑ "Lietuvai – daug šansų rengti 2026 m. Europos salės futbolo čempionatą". sportas.lt.
  21. ↑ "UEFA izdabā Baltkrievijai un atņem Latvijai telpu futbola Eiropas čempionāta medaļu maču uzņemšanu". Delfi. June 27, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Lietuva sieks, kad Baltarusija nedalyvautų Europos salės futbolo čempionate". www.lrytas.lt.
  23. ↑ "Kontrowersje wokół obecności Białorusi na UEFA Futsal Euro 2026". www.futsal-polska.pl. May 1, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Slovenia joins Latvia and Lithuania as Futsal EURO 2026 host". UEFA . 27 June 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  25. ↑ "Futsal Euro ponovno v Sloveniji: Ljubljana gostiteljica dveh skupin in zaključnih bojev". www.nzs.si.
  26. ↑ "Slovenija presenetljivo izbrana za gostiteljico Euro 2026 v futsalu - Informer.si". June 28, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Į Lietuvą ir Latviją neįleisti baltarusiai: drebino kinkas, bet vėl liežuviais plaka orą". 15min.lt/sportas.
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