Futsal draw to take place

The draw for the qualifying phase of the third UEFA European Futsal Championship takes place on Wednesday at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon.

Italy play host
Twenty-nine national associations have entered the competition, including Italy, who qualify automatically as hosts. The qualifying phase takes place in October 2002, with the final tournament scheduled for 16 to 22 February 2003.

Committee meeting
The qualifying phase comprises seven groups of four teams each, and the winners from each group will go through to the finals. Wednesday’s draw coincides with a meeting of the UEFA Futsal Committee, when the exact draw procedure and the seedings will be decided.

Spanish success
The first championship was staged in Spain in February 1999. It was won by Russia, who defeated the hosts in a penalty shoot-out after a thrilling 3-3 draw. Spain won the second championship in February 2001 beating Ukraine 2-1 in the final.

Teams taking part
The 28 associations taking part in the qualifying phase for the 2003 tournament are: Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine and Yugoslavia.