UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 Matchday 1 Wednesday round-up: Latvia 4-0 Georgia, Croatia 2-2 France

UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 kicked off at Arena Riga on Wednesday and co-hosts Latvia got off to a dream start in Group A.

Making their Futsal EURO finals debut, Latvia secured a 4-0 win against Georgia, who reached the last eight on their own bow in 2022. Before that game, Croatia and France played out a 2-2 draw that underlined both teams' quality. This section continues in Riga on Sunday, while Group B commences on Thursday in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Group A: Latvia 4-0 Georgia

Latvia, cheered on by a crowd of over 3,000, began in positive fashion and led in just the third minute when Miks Babris played a corner back to captain Germans Matjušenko, who powered in. The co-hosts took confidence from the goal and even when Georgia started to dominate possession later in the first half, they could create few clear openings.

They did eke out one opportunity early in the second half after some fine footwork by Giorgi Ghavtadze on the right, but his shot hit the far post. Rainers Mūrnieks was also proving tenacious in the Latvia goal, meanwhile, and his team took a 2-0 lead when Edgars Tarakanovs sent in a low free-kick.

Just over two minutes later, Tarakanovs had another, winning the ball off Nukri Сhumburidze and producing a superb turn and shot, before Andrejs Baklanovs capped a perfect night for the Riga crowd with a fourth.

Player of the Match: Edgars Tarakanovs (Latvia)

Key stat: This was Latvia's first win in any UEFA final tournament, futsal or football. It was also the second-biggest Matchday 1 win by a Futsal EURO host, after Serbia dispatched Slovenia 5-1 in 2016.

Massimiliano Bellarte, Latvia coach: "[My players] went out in a very huge, very tough way, and I am happy because I am searching for consistency. This is something that showed the consistency they are reaching."

Edgars Tarakanovs, Latvia double goalscorer: "Our feelings are so good as we have won our first game at the EURO. This is historic. The whole team is so happy but now we will go to the next game. All the players, all the fans, are happy."

Group A: Croatia 2-2 France

Two teams tipped to go far produced a competitive opener. Croatia began brightly and Francis Lokoka did well to keep it at 0-0 before he was finally beaten in the 14th minute as David Mataja teed up Duje Kustura to finish after Croatia had won the ball in France territory.

The 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup semi-finalists France were soon level, though, with Mamadou Siragassy Touré breaking down the left and coolly chipping in an equaliser. Two minutes later, France went ahead when Ouassini Guirio intercepted a defensive Croatia pass and rounded Ante Piplica.

Les Bleus seemed in control but, with just over six minutes left, Lokoka was forced into a double save, before Kustura equalised with his second goal of the game, deflecting the ball in following excellent work by Antonio Sekulić.

Player of the Match: Franko Jelovčić (Croatia)

Key stat: The shot count reflected a tight encounter, with 23 for Croatia and 24 by France.

Marinko Mavrović, Croatia coach: "It’s great we started the tournament with a good result against very strong opponents. We made individual mistakes, but this is a great point for us ahead of the next two matches. But it will only be a good point if we get results against Georgia and Latvia."

Raphaël Reynaud, France coach: "We're split between the satisfaction of not losing and the disappointment of not having been able to keep our lead. That would have allowed us to win the game and we know the importance of winning the first game. Now, we have to be content with this and there's still a long way to go, so we're mostly looking ahead."

Duje Kustura, Croatia double goalscorer: "It was a great match. Both teams could have won, so it was a deserved draw. It's a great feeling [to score twice] – I did not expect it. I know I can score rebounds – I always score goals like that!"

Ouassini Guirio, France goalscorer: "It was a very good match from the two teams – a pretty tight match. Both teams created lots of chances. There were also a lot of fouls and it was a fairly tough game with a lot of tackles. It finished in a draw and we're frustrated with the result, but we're already ready for the next game."

Next games in Group A: Sunday 25 January
Croatia vs Georgia (13:00 CET, Riga)
France vs Latvia (16:00 CET, Riga)