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]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 9 April 2024 – 24 September 2025 |
| Teams | 48 (from 1 confederation) |
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 edit
The qualifying competition consists of three rounds:[3][5]
- Preliminary round: The 12 teams that enter this round are drawn into three groups. Each group is played in a single round-robin format, with one of the teams selected as hosts before the draw. Each group winners and runners-up advance to the main round.
- Main round: The 40 teams (34 teams with the highest coefficient ranking, and six teams from the preliminary round) are drawn into ten groups. Each group is played in a home-and-away round-robin format. The ten group winners qualify for the final tournament, while the eight best runners-up advance to the play-offs.
- Play-offs: The eight teams are drawn into four ties, each tie will be played by home-and-away two-legged matches to determine the last four qualifiers.
Tiebreakers edit
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]
- Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- 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;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- (Main round only) Away goals scored in all group matches;
- (Main round only) Wins in all group matches;
- (Main round only) Away wins in all group matches;
- Disciplinary points (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
- UEFA coefficient ranking for the qualifying round or qualifying group stage draw;
- 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]
- Points;
- Goal difference;
- Goals scored;
- Disciplinary points;
- 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 edit
The qualifying matches are played on dates that fall within the FIFA Futsal International Match Calendar.[5]
| Round | Draw | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | 25 January 2024 | 9 – 14 April 2024 |
| Main round | 12 July 2024 |
|
| Play-offs | 15 May 2025 | 15–24 September 2025 |
Entrants edit
The teams were ranked according to their coefficient ranking, calculated based on all FIFA and UEFA national senior men's futsal team matches played since the UEFA European qualifying competition for the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup.[5]
The 34 highest-ranked teams entered the main round, while the 12 lowest-ranked teams entered the preliminary round. The coefficient ranking was also used for seeding in the main round draw, where each team was assigned a seeding position according to their ranking.[6]
| Team | Coeff.[6] | Rank |
|---|---|---|
 Latvia |
1387.402 | 27 |
 Lithuania |
1195.790 | 33 |
|
|
| Team | Coeff.[6] | Rank |
|---|---|---|
 Russia[4] |
2547.159 | 2 |
 Wales |
1011.432 | 42 |
 Iceland |
- | NR |
 Faroe Islands |
- | NR |
 Liechtenstein |
- | NR |
 Luxembourg |
- | NR |
 Republic of Ireland |
- | NR |
- Notes
- Teams marked in bold have qualified for the final tournament.
- NR: No rank.
Preliminary round edit
Draw edit
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.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
 San Marino Scotland Northern Ireland
|
 Gibraltar Austria Estonia
|
 Bulgaria Andorra Malta
|
 Israel Cyprus Switzerland
|
Groups edit
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 Cyprus, Austria, and Switzerland. In the preliminary round, the schedule of each group is as follows:[5]
| Day | Schedule |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival |
| Day 2 | 2 v 4, 3 v 1 |
| Day 3 | 3 v 2, 1 v 4 |
| Day 4 | Rest day |
| Day 5 | 4 v 3, 1 v 2 |
| Day 6 | Departure |
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 edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cyprus (H)
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7[a] | Main round |
| 2 | Andorra
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7[a] | |
| 3 | Estonia
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Northern Ireland
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 0 |
| Andorra | 3–2 | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Cyprus | 3–2 | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Andorra | 2–2 | Cyprus |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Northern Ireland | 1–2 | Estonia |
|---|---|---|
Millar  32'11" |
Report | Vnukov 0'14", 7'20" |
Group B edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austria (H)
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 9 | Main round |
| 2 | Bulgaria
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | |
| 3 | Israel
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | San Marino
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 |
| Israel | 1–1 | San Marino |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Austria | 3–1 | San Marino |
|---|---|---|
|
Report | Moretti 31'40" |
| San Marino | 1–4 | Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Mattioli 28'09" |
Report |
|
Group C edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malta
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 9 | Main round |
| 2 | Switzerland (H)
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 6 | |
| 3 | Gibraltar
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 16 | −12 | 3 | |
| 4 | Scotland
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 0 |
| Malta | 4–1 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Switzerland | 7–0 | Gibraltar |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Gibraltar | 0–8 | Malta |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Switzerland | 3–1 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Malta | 2–1 | Switzerland |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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Main round edit
Draw edit
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: 
Portugal (holders), 
Spain, 
Kazakhstan, 
Ukraine, 
France, 
Finland, 
Croatia, 
Italy, 
Poland, 
Slovenia, 
Azerbaijan, 
Serbia, 
Georgia, 
Netherlands, 
Romania, 
Czech Republic, 
Slovakia, 
Hungary, 
Bosnia and Herzegovina, 
Armenia, 
Belgium, 
Belarus, 
Moldova, 
Germany, 
North Macedonia, 
Sweden, 
Montenegro, 
Kosovo, 
England, 
Denmark, 
Albania, 
Norway, 
Greece, and 
Turkey.[3]
The 6 teams advancing from the preliminary round are Cyprus, Andorra, Switzerland, Malta, Austria, and Bulgaria.[3][7]
In the main round, the schedule of each group is as follows:[5]
| Matchday | Matches |
|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 2 v 3, 4 v 1 |
| Matchday 2 | 1 v 2, 3 v 4 |
| Matchday 3 | 3 v 1, 2 v 4 |
| Matchday 4 | 1 v 3, 4 v 2 |
| Matchday 5 | 3 v 2, 1 v 4 |
| Matchday 6 | 2 v 1, 4 v 3 |
Play-offs edit
Draw edit
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 edit
The following 16 teams qualify for the final tournament.[3]
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in Futsal Euro1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latvia |
Co-host | 2 December 2023 | 0 (Debut) |
| Lithuania |
Co-host | 2 December 2023 | 0 (Debut) |
| 10 teams | Group winner | 16 April 2025 | |
| 4 teams | Play-off winner | 24 September 2025 |
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
References edit
- ^ "Latvia and Lithuania selected to host Futsal EURO 2026". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2 December 2023.
- ^ "UEFA to revamp and expand futsal competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 4 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Futsal EURO 2026: format, calendar". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2 December 2023.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "UEFA Documents". documents.uefa.com. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "UEFA Men's Futsal National Team Coefficients". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Futsal EURO 2026 preliminary round guide | Futsal EURO". UEFA.com. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.