Indoor soccer or arena soccer is a five-a-side or six-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor soccer, as it is most often known in the United States and Canada, was originally developed in these two countries as a way to play soccer during the winter months, when snow would make outdoor play difficult. In those countries, gymnasiums are adapted for indoor soccer play. In other countries the game is played in either indoor or outdoor arenas surrounded by walls, and is referred to by different names.
The Mexican Football Federation is the governing body of association football in Mexico. It administers the Mexico national team, the Liga MX and all affiliated amateur sectors, and controls promoting, organizing, directing, expanding, and supervising competitive football in Mexico. It is a member of CONCACAF and FIFA, and is subject to policies, statutes, objectives and ideals of those international governing bodies. The Federation was established on 23 August 1927 under the inaugural president Humberto Garza Ramos. In 1929, FIFA affiliation was established; CONCACAF affiliation was established in 1961.
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 2000 as the FIFA Club World Championship. It was not held from 2001 to 2004 due to a combination of factors in the cancelled 2001 tournament, most importantly the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure (ISL), but in 2005 it changed to an annual competition through 2023. Following the 2023 edition, the tournament was revamped to a quadrennial competition starting in 2025. Views differ as to the cup's prestige: it struggles to attract interest in most of Europe, and is the object of heated debate in South America.
Five-a-side football is a version of minifootball, in which each team fields five players. Other differences from association football include a smaller pitch, smaller goals, and a reduced game duration. Matches are played indoors, or outdoors on artificial grass pitches that may be enclosed within a barrier or "cage" to prevent the ball from leaving the playing area and keep the game constantly flowing.
The most popular sport in Mexico currently is association football (soccer) followed by boxing. Historically, soccer has been the dominant sport in Mexico shaping the national sports scene. The Mexican Primera División is one of the top soccer leagues globally. Baseball also holds a notable place in Mexican sports culture, particularly in the northwest and southeast regions of the country, particularly in states such as Sonora and Sinaloa, and in the southeast, notably in Yucatán and Quintana Roo. The Mexican League serves as a major league in this sport, with a strong regional following. The country has produced many renowned Boxers, and major fights generate considerable interest and viewership.
Mexico's most popular sport is football. As of 2020, the top-tier leagues in Mexico are Liga MX for the men and the Liga MX Femenil for women.
Rene Ortiz is an American former soccer player. He spent most of his playing career in indoor soccer with two seasons in the Western Soccer Alliance and one season in Major League Soccer. He currently coaches the Mexican national arena soccer team and the Hilltop High School soccer teams.
Mini football may refer to:
The World Futsal Association (AMF) is the governing body of futsal for both fully and non-independent states or regions, headquartered in Asuncion, Paraguay. It was founded on 25 July 1971 as the International Futsal Federation (FIFUSA) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; on 1 December 2002, the organization was replaced, changed its name to Spanish version Asociación Mundial de Futsal (AMF).
The Federación Internacional de Fútbol Rápido, commonly known by the acronym FIFRA, was the international governing body of indoor soccer. From 2008–2013 FIFRA was responsible for the organization and governance of indoor soccer's major international tournaments. In North America, the MASL umbrella of leagues were official affiliates of FIFRA, including the Professional Arena Soccer League and Premier Arena Soccer League.
Hidalgo La Fiera was an American professional indoor soccer team based in Hidalgo, Texas. They played in the Southern Division of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). The team was founded in 2012 as the Rio Grande Valley Flash when the Monterrey Flash left the Liga Mexicana de Futbol Rápido Profesional to move to Texas and the Professional Arena Soccer League. The PASL was rebranded as the MASL in May 2014. The team fell into financial disarray and, unable to reorganize, resigned their membership in the MASL effective December 23, 2014.
Lydia Nayeli Rangel Hernández is a Mexican footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tigres UANL and the Mexico women's national team.
The 2013–14 Monterrey Flash season was the first season of the new Monterrey Flash professional indoor soccer club. The Monterrey Flash, a Central Division team in the Professional Arena Soccer League, played their home games in Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.
The World Minifootball Federation (WMF) is the global governing body for mainly 6-a-side and other versions of minifootball. WMF exists to promote, supervise and direct minifootball growth.
Chad Vandegriffe is an American soccer and indoor soccer player who currently plays for the Kansas City Comets in the Major Arena Soccer League.
The 1971 NASL Professional Hoc-Soc Tournament was the first indoor variant of soccer sanctioned by the North American Soccer League. It was held in St. Louis, Missouri on the evening of March 19, 1971 and involved four of the league's eight franchises.
The United States National Arena Soccer Team is the indoor soccer team that represents the United States at international competitions. It is affiliated with Confederación Panamericana de Minifutbol (CPM) and the World Minifootball Federation (WMF). The first international arena match played by the U.S. National Arena Soccer Team was in July 2008 in Montreal, Canada where Mexico defeated the United States 6–4. The first international arena soccer match in the United States was held in July 2009 at NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas. The United States won the inaugural WMF World Cup in 2015 after going undefeated in group play defeating Germany and Romania in the knockout rounds en route to the final and prevailing over Mexico 5–3 in the final. Goalkeeper Danny Waltman was named tournament MVP. The team also participated in the 2017 WMF World Cup, held in Tunisia.
The Tunisia national minifootball team, nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , represents Tunisia in international minifootball competitions. It is affiliated to the Tunisian Minifootball Federation.
The African Minifootball Cup (AMC) is a continental indoor minifootball competition contested by the senior men's national teams of African Minifootball Federation (AMF). The first edition was held in Libya in May 2018.
Romania (2023)
United States , 
Mexico , 
Czech Republic , 
2023 WMF World Cup 
