Futsal EURO 2026 finals draw: Reaction

The UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 groups have been set and the 16 contenders are ready for the finals from 21 January to 7 February in Riga, Kaunas and Ljubljana.

We hear from all 16 teams after the draw at Žalgirio Arena, Kaunas.

Group A

Latvia

Massimiliano Bellarte, Latvia coach: "The draw is made according to UEFA ranking so every team on paper is better than us. We were going to face strong teams in any case. It is good for us to be here, to improve and find that consistency that we need to find at this level. We have taken two big steps up and now we need consistency to stay at this level."

Croatia

Marinko Mavrović, Croatia coach: "We are happy with our group. We have a chance of getting to the next round. We are happy not to play Portugal, Spain or Poland, but we have to play France, who are a strong team. We respect the other teams, Latvia are at home with big support from fans but we have a chance against the other three teams."

Georgia

Besarion Arveladze, Georgia assistant coach: "All 16 teams in the EURO are top level and Group A has strong teams. France may be the favourites in the group but every team is good and we will do our best. It is our second EURO, last time we got to the quarter-finals and that is our objective."

France

Raphaël Reynaud, France coach: "We are happy to be here. It is a tough group, every team have chances of going through. It is our second Futsal EURO so our first goal is to win our first match in the competition and then to get to the quarter-finals."

Group B

Lithuania

Emerson Junior, Lithuania coach: "Ukraine we know, we played them twice last month. I played in Czechia and started there as a coach, I know all the players, all the coaches and we will also face them in December too. Armenia, a big surprise, they beat Kazakhstan in their group, they qualified from a hard group. So it will not be easy but we have prepared hard.

"The players understand what the final tournament involves, the intensity, the emotions. We have good facilities to prepare and know we know our opponents.

"We need to play with our emotions, we are playing in our home, with our 'family' in the Žalgirio Arena. If we do our best, the result isn’t the most important thing. But we hope we can reach the quarter-finals."

Armenia

Ruben Nazaretyan, Armenia coach: "The draw was good for us. All our opponents are strong and hopefully we will play well. The team are in good condition, very strong now, and we hope to do well. Ukraine are one of the favourites, they are in our group, along with Spain."

Czechia

Marek Kopecký, Czechia coach: "We feel good, we have a good group and we are satisfied to play in Kaunas, it is a nice city. In a final tournament there are no weak opponents, everybody has qualified as one of the 16 best in Europe. We are in good form from our friendlies and we were unbeaten in qualifying."

Ukraine

Oleksandr Kosenko, Ukraine coach: "Every team that qualified are good teams that know how to play futsal. Armenia are very strong, they qualified ahead of Kazakhstan. We have played friendlies with Czechia and Lithuania, and they were not easy, and we didn’t expect easy matches."

Group C

Slovenia

Tomislav Horvat, Slovenia coach: "Whoever you get, the opposition is excellent and I am looking forward to it. I know our fans will be like an extra player and I am excited about all the matches, especially the opener, Slovenia vs Spain – in Ljubljana, perfect!

"We aim to advance from the group then every game becomes extra motivation, the icing on the cake. We will see how it goes."

Belarus

Aleksandr Chernik, Belarus coach: "We are really proud to be in this competition with these strong teams. We are happy to play Slovenia, the hosts with full stands, that is good for every player. Slovenia, as hosts, and Spain are favourites in this group but we can compete with these teams, it is not like they are from outer space, they are very strong but we think we can beat them.

"Our dream is to reach the knockout stage, the quarter-finals, but it will not be so easy. First of all we want our first win in a EURO, in 2010 we got a draw but we want our first win. The first match with Belgium will be very important, if we get a good result we will go into the next matches with positive emotions."

Spain

Jesús Velasco, Spain coach: "Personally, I wanted to be drawn in a group in Slovenia to avoid commuting and moving between venues, so I am happy with that. As for the opposition, it would have been difficult regardless of who we drew. We need to keep working to build on the model of play we want."

Belgium

Miguel Capilla, Belgium team manager: "It’s a good feeling as we will play a host country. We are maybe not the strongest team in the tournament, as we do not have professional players, and will enjoy the tournament as a once in a lifetime experience. But we can give a match to all the teams in the group."

Group D

Italy

Salvatore Samperi, Italy coach: "We are in a very difficult group. We are playing against the defending champions, Portugal, we are playing another team that is growing very much, Poland, and we face Hungary, who have been doing great in recent matches, so it is a very difficult group. When we get to an event we want to go our best and go all the way. We will take it step by step."

Hungary

Sergio Mullor, Hungary coach: "We are grateful to be here and it is a great opportunity for the Hungarian national team. As for the group, we have drawn the toughest team in every pot. It will be hard for us but I am sure we will compete and we are not there to make up the numbers.

"We will play in Ljubljana so we can expect a lot of fans, which is good for us. It’s true that Hungary have never got a point in a Futsal EURO final tournament so that is our first objective, then we will see."

Portugal

Jorge Braz, Portugal coach: "It’s a very strong group. Italy have already been European champions twice, like us. Poland have grown a lot in recent years, with great results this season in qualifying. Hungary have a great coach, a Spanish coach who I have known for a long time, a very organised team that know how to compete. A very strong group but we want to win the group and get to the next stage.

"We won the last two editions so everybody expects not less than that. We are happy with that, that is the stamp they put on us and we can’t avoid it. But step by step, we have a tough group to win then we will have very difficult stages, quarter-final, semi-final. Let’s see if we can be in the final again."

Poland

Błażej Korczyński, Poland coach: "It will be a challenge for us. It’s a hard group, Portugal and Italy are the best teams, so for us it will be a challenge. But if we want to do something in this EURO we must win the matches.

"For us it is important in this tournament we want to grow. We want to get to the quarter-final but it will not be easy."