UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 qualifying

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UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 qualifying
Tournament details
Dates9 April 2024 – 24 September 2025
Teams48 (from 1 confederation)
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The UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 qualifying competition will be a men's futsal competition that determines the 14 teams joining the automatically qualified co-hosts Latvia and Lithuania in the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 final tournament, [1] which will be played on a four-year basis and featuring 16 teams. [2]

Contents

48 UEFA member national teams entered the competition. Apart from co-hosts Latvia and Lithuania, the remaining 46 teams entered the qualifying competition. The 34 teams with the highest futsal men's national-team coefficient ranking taken in December 2023 were given byes to the main round, while the remaining 12 teams entered in the preliminary round. [3]

Russia was banned from qualifying following the country's invasion of Ukraine. [4]

Format

The qualifying competition consists of three rounds: [3] [5]

Tiebreakers

In the preliminary round and main round, teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Articles 14.01, 14.02 and 17.01): [5]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. (Main round only) Away goals scored in all group matches;
  8. (Main round only) Wins in all group matches;
  9. (Main round only) Away wins in all group matches;
  10. Disciplinary points (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
  11. UEFA coefficient ranking for the qualifying round or qualifying group stage draw;
  12. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams have the same number of points, and they met in the last round of the group and are tied after applying all criteria above (not used if more than two teams have the same number of points, or if their rankings are not relevant for qualification for the next stage);

To determine the eight best runners-up from the main round. The following criteria are applied (Regulations Article 16.01): [5]

  1. Points;
  2. Goal difference;
  3. Goals scored;
  4. Disciplinary points;
  5. UEFA coefficient ranking for the qualifying round or qualifying group stage draw;

In the play-offs, the team that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs qualifies for the final tournament. If the aggregate score is level, the away goals rule is applied, i.e., the team that scores more goals away from home over the two legs advances. If away goals are also equal, extra time is played. The away goals rule is again applied after extra time, i.e., if there are goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score is still level, the visiting team advances by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals are scored during extra time, the tie is decided by penalty shoot-out (Regulations Article 22.01). [5]

Schedule

The qualifying matches are played on dates that fall within the FIFA Futsal International Match Calendar. [5]

Schedule for UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 qualifying
RoundDrawDates
Preliminary round25 January 20249 – 14 April 2024
Main round12 July 2024
  • 9 – 18 December 2024,
  • 27 January – 5 February 2025,
  • 3 – 12 March 2025,
  • 7 – 16 April 2025
Play-offs15 May 202515–24 September 2025

Preliminary round

Draw

The draw for the preliminary round took place at 14:00 CET, 25 January 2024. The seeding was based on the Elo-based futsal men's national-team coefficient ranking taken in December 2023. The 12 teams were drawn into 3 groups of four. [3]

The draw started with pot 1 and ended with pot 4, with each team selected then allocated into groups alphabetically. The pots for the draw are shown below.

Draw [3]
Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4
Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 		Flag of Gibraltar.svg  Gibraltar
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 		Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra
Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 		Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland

Groups

The winners and runners-up of each group advance to the main round. The preliminary round was played 9 – 14 April 2024.

All matches within each group are hosted by one of the participating associations. The hosts are Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus, Flag of Austria.svg  Austria, and Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland. In the preliminary round, the schedule of each group is as follows: [5]

DaySchedule
Day 1Arrival
Day 22 v 4, 3 v 1
Day 33 v 2, 1 v 4
Day 4Rest day
Day 54 v 3, 1 v 2
Day 6Departure

When establishing the match schedule, the host association is placed in position 1, and the visiting teams in positions 2, 3 and 4, according to their coefficient rankings. [5]

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus (H)321075+27 [lower-alpha 1] Main round
2Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra 321075+27 [lower-alpha 1]
3Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 310245−13
4Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 300358−30
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Tied on head-to-head, total goal difference, and total goals scored. Disciplinary points: Cyprus 4, Andorra 6.
Cyprus  Flag of Cyprus.svg2–1Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia
  • Savva Soccerball shade.svg 34'00"
  • El Kebbe Soccerball shade.svg 39'30"
 Report
  • Vnukov Soccerball shade.svg 18'02"
Referee: Chiara Perona (Italy), Rastislav Behancin (Slovakia)
Andorra  Flag of Andorra.svg3–2Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
  • Adrià Blat Soccerball shade.svg 11'35"
  • Torres Domenjo Soccerball shade.svg 29'52"
  • Rodríguez Soccerball shade.svg 39'25"
 Report
  • Millar Soccerball shade.svg 0'20"
  • Dobney Soccerball shade.svg 37'46"
Referee: Viktor Bugenko (Moldova), Done Ristovski (North Macedonia)
Cyprus  Flag of Cyprus.svg3–2Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
  • Lakoufis Soccerball shade.svg 4'16"
  • El Kebbe Soccerball shade.svg 16'14"
  • Constantinides Soccerball shade.svg 17'49"
 Report
  • Millar Soccerball shade.svg 17'12"
  • Gunn Soccerball shade.svg 29'53"
Referee: Done Ristovski (North Macedonia), Chiara Perona (Italy)
Estonia  Flag of Estonia.svg1–2Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra
  • Vnukov Soccerball shade.svg 27'51" (pen.)
 Report
  • Adrià Blat Soccerball shade.svg 17'07"
  • Dos Santos Soccerball shade.svg 39'40"
Referee: Rastislav Behancin (Slovakia), Viktor Bugenko (Moldova)
Andorra  Flag of Andorra.svg2–2Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus
  • Regalo Figueiredo Soccerball shade.svg 33'55"
  • Debboun Soccerball shade.svg 39'24"
 Report
  • Kouloumbris Soccerball shade.svg 11'42"
  • Tsitsos Soccerball shade.svg 24'46"
Referee: Chiara Perona (Italy), Done Ristovski (North Macedonia)
Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg1–2Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia
Millar Soccerball shade.svg 32'11" Report Vnukov Soccerball shade.svg 0'14", 7'20"
Referee: Rastislav Behancin (Slovakia), Viktor Bugenko (Moldova)

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Austria.svg  Austria (H)330073+49 Main round
2Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria 311142+24
3Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 302134−12
4Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 301238−51
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Israel  Flag of Israel.svg1–1Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino
  • Adani Soccerball shade.svg 29'02"
 Report
  • Busignani Soccerball shade.svg 22'07"
Referee: Admir Zahovič (Slovenia), Darko Boskovic (Switzerland)
Austria  Flag of Austria.svg1–0Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
  • Jatic Soccerball shade.svg 26'48"
 Report
Referee: Miguel Castilho (Portugal), Mislav Džeko (Croatia)
Bulgaria  Flag of Bulgaria.svg0–0Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
Report
Referee: Mislav Džeko (Croatia), Admir Zahovič (Slovenia)
Austria  Flag of Austria.svg3–1Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino
  • Jatic Soccerball shade.svg 1'54"
  • Steinwandter Soccerball shade.svg 15'32", 37'39"
 Report Moretti Soccerball shade.svg 31'40"
Referee: Darko Boskovic (Switzerland), Miguel Castilho (Portugal)
San Marino  Flag of San Marino.svg1–4Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
Mattioli Soccerball shade.svg 28'09" Report
  • Dimov Soccerball shade.svg 5'26"
  • Asenov Soccerball shade.svg 13'56"
  • Dobrichov Soccerball shade.svg 18'51", 36'40"
Referee: Darko Boskovic (Switzerland), Mislav Džeko (Croatia)
Israel  Flag of Israel.svg2–3Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
  • Piven Soccerball shade.svg 25'51"
  • T. Shkolnik Soccerball shade.svg 39'25"
 Report
  • Skrgić Soccerball shade.svg 1'42"
  • Meitz Soccerball shade.svg 13'34"
  • Kreka Soccerball shade.svg 38'22"
Referee: Miguel Castilho (Portugal), Admir Zahovič (Slovenia)

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 3300142+129 Main round
2Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland (H)3201113+86
3Flag of Gibraltar.svg  Gibraltar 3102416−123
4Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 3003311−80
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Malta  Flag of Malta.svg4–1Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
  • Telisi Soccerball shade.svg 2'28"
  • Sammut Soccerball shade.svg 5'32"
  • C. Alves Soccerball shade.svg 25'16"
  • Borg Soccerball shade.svg 25'41" (pen.)
 Report
  • Lawless Soccerball shade.svg 38'45"
Referee: Gábor Kovács (Hungary), Mariia Myslovska (Ukraine)
Switzerland  Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg7–0Flag of Gibraltar.svg  Gibraltar
  • Silverio Soccerball shade.svg 6'47", 8'43"
  • Sammut Soccerball shade.svg 5'32"
  • Marcoyannakis Soccerball shade.svg 9'32", 15'05"
  • Gössi Soccerball shade.svg 26'41"
  • Uebelhart Soccerball shade.svg 37'47"
  • Barreira Soccerball shade.svg 38.24'
 Report
Referee: Telmen Undrakh (Norway), Kamil Çetin (Turkey)
Gibraltar  Flag of Gibraltar.svg0–8Flag of Malta.svg  Malta
Report
  • Zammit Soccerball shade.svg 1'13", 22'30", 33'14"
  • Maikinho Soccerball shade.svg 5'01", 33'55", 34'57"
  • C. Alves Soccerball shade.svg 12'23"
  • Telisi Soccerball shade.svg 20'26"
Referee: Kamil Çetin (Turkey), Gábor Kovács (Hungary)
Switzerland  Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg3–1Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
  • Lanzendorfer Soccerball shade.svg 19'41"
  • Kägi Soccerball shade.svg 20'16", 26'32"
 Report
  • Holness Soccerball shade.svg 34'05"
Referee: Mariia Myslovska (Ukraine), Telmen Undrakh (Norway)
Scotland  Flag of Scotland.svg1–4Flag of Gibraltar.svg  Gibraltar
McLaren Soccerball shade.svg 31'36" Report
  • Parker Soccerball shade.svg 4'28"
  • Ruiz Soccerball shade.svg 15'08", 22'40", 37'13"
Referee: Kamil Çetin (Turkey), Mariia Myslovska (Ukraine)
Malta  Flag of Malta.svg2–1Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
  • Telisi Soccerball shade.svg 3'13"
  • Borg Soccerball shade.svg 25'58"
 Report
  • Qerfoz Soccerball shade.svg 31'21"
Referee: Gábor Kovács (Hungary), Telmen Undrakh (Norway)

Main round

Draw

The draw for the main round will take place on 30 May 2024. The seeding will be based on the new Elo-based futsal men's national-team coefficient ranking. The 40 teams will be drawn into 10 groups of four. Based on the decisions taken by the UEFA Emergency Panel, Serbia, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina can not be drawn in the same group. Each team plays one home and one away match against each other team in its group. [3]

The ten group winners qualify for the UEFA Futsal EURO 2026, while the eight best runners-up qualify for the play-offs. [5]

The 34 teams entering directly in main round are: Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal (holders), Flag of Spain.svg  Spain, Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan, Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine, Flag of France.svg  France, Flag of Finland.svg  Finland, Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia, Flag of Italy.svg  Italy, Flag of Poland.svg  Poland, Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia, Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan, Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia, Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia, Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands, Flag of Romania.svg  Romania, Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic, Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia, Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary, Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia, Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium, Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus, Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova, Flag of Germany.svg  Germany, Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia, Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden, Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro, Flag of Kosovo.svg  Kosovo, Flag of England.svg  England, Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark, Flag of Albania.svg  Albania, Flag of Norway.svg  Norway, Flag of Greece.svg  Greece, and Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey. [3]

The 6 teams advancing from the preliminary round are Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus, Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra, Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland, Flag of Malta.svg  Malta, Flag of Austria.svg  Austria, and Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria. [3] [6]

In the main round, the schedule of each group is as follows: [5]

Main round schedule
MatchdayMatches
Matchday 12 v 3, 4 v 1
Matchday 21 v 2, 3 v 4
Matchday 33 v 1, 2 v 4
Matchday 41 v 3, 4 v 2
Matchday 53 v 2, 1 v 4
Matchday 62 v 1, 4 v 3

Play-offs

Draw

The draw for the main round will take place on 15 May 2025. The eight teams are drawn into four ties, played over two legs, to decide the last four qualifiers. [3] [5]

Qualified teams

The following 16 teams qualify for the final tournament. [3]

TeamQualified asQualified onPrevious appearances in Futsal Euro 1
Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia Co-host2 December 20230 (Debut)
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania Co-host2 December 20230 (Debut)
10 teamsGroup winner16 April 2025
4 teamsPlay-off winner24 September 2025
1Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

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References

  1. ↑ "Latvia and Lithuania selected to host Futsal EURO 2026". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "UEFA to revamp and expand futsal competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 4 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Futsal EURO 2026: format, calendar". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "UEFA decisions for upcoming competitions relating to the ongoing suspension of Russian national teams and clubs". uefa.com. UEFA. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "UEFA Documents". documents.uefa.com. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Futsal EURO 2026 preliminary round guide | Futsal EURO". UEFA.com. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
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