UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 Matchday 1 Friday round-up, highlights: Belarus 0-4 Belgium, Slovenia 1-4 Spain

Omar Rahou hit a Belgium hat-trick while Spain produced a clinical display to defeat co-hosts Slovenia as UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 Group C began at Arena Stožice in Ljubljana.

Spain scored in the first minute against Slovenia, backed by a crowd of more than 8,000, and the seven-time champions went on to complete a 4-1 victory. Earlier, Belgium ended a 30-year wait for a Futsal EURO finals win as Rahou inspired a 4-0 success against Belarus.

The action remains at Arena Stožice on Saturday for the first Group D games, including Portugal beginning their title defence. Group C continues here on Monday.

Group C: Slovenia 1-4 Spain 

Just 25 seconds in, Antonio Pérez met Adolfo's lofted corner with a volley to give Spain the lead, which they doubled in the seventh minute via Mellado's powerful drive. José Raya got the third just past the quarter-hour, his shot from wide going past the unsighted Nejc Berzelak, and before the break Jesús Gordillo finished off an excellent Spain move.

Spain had chances early in the second half, but Slovenia pulled one back in the 28th minute, Matej Fideršek winning the ball and then finishing off Uroš Djurić's return pass. Nevertheless, Spain saw out the game comfortably to begin their bid to win back the title they relinquished to Portugal at this Ljubljana arena eight years ago.

Player of the Match: Mellado (Spain)

Key stat: Slovenia's Igor Osredkar has now appeared in a record-equalling seventh Futsal EURO final tournament, matching retired Spain duo Luis Amado and Carlos Ortiz.

Jesús Velasco, Spain coach: "I'm happy with many things my team did tonight and not so happy with minor ones. All in all, it was a good display, and I'm satisfied with what I saw.

"There's always room for improvement, and we need to keep working hard because this was just the first step. Of course, it was important to score very early, but that didn't prevent us from keeping pushing for more and more goals."

Tomislav Horvat, Slovenia coach: "It wasn't our night, and I want to congratulate Spain because they deserved to win, but also my players. Despite going down really early and the scoreline at half-time, they never gave up and kept fighting right until the end. That's what a real team should always do, and they did it.

"Of course, we are sad about this outcome, but it's not the end of the world. We knew it was going to be difficult, but we still have two matches to play and our tournament really starts now."

Antonio Pérez, Spain goalscorer: "I'm very happy with tonight's win and, above all, with the way we played. We did really well against a team with quality and who had the entire arena behind them.

"I don't have words to describe what it feels like to score my first-ever senior final tournament goal with Spain. It is like a dream come true. I always do my best to help my team, and being able to do it by scoring such an important goal means a lot to me. I couldn't be happier."

Igor Osredkar, Slovenia captain: "It's hard enough facing a team like Spain, but it becomes even harder when you concede a goal after 25 seconds. The second goal was also a hard blow and there was no coming back after that, although we tried our best. We should have done better tonight, but nothing is lost as we still have two matches to play. Our fans were amazing and it was really special to play here. I'm just sad we weren't able to make them happy like they deserve. 

 "Of course I'm proud [of equalling the record of playing at seven Futsal EURO final tournaments], but not just for myself. I'm proud of all the teams I played for and of all the players that helped along the way. I always give everything I have for my country, and that will never change."

Group C: Belarus 0-4 Belgium 

Belgium went ahead on four minutes, their most-capped player and record goalscorer Omar Rahou turning in from close range after Kenneth Vanderheyden had darted past Igor Shcherbich and clipped the ball back. Belarus, ending a 16-year finals absence, responded well as Belgium goalkeeper Dries Vrancken did excellently to tip Dmitri Shvedko's fierce drive against the crossbar.

Rahou then made it 2-0 midway through the second half with a smart turn and dink from Jamal Aabbou's low long pass. Sergei Krykun hit the bar from a tight angle, but Belgium made certain of their first Futsal EURO finals win since beating Italy 3-2 after extra time for third place in 1996 when Rahou curled into an unguarded net from distance to complete his treble. Steven Dillien similarly struck from long range to round off the scoring.

Player of the Match: Omar Rahou (Belgium)

Key stat: Rahou also scored Belgium's most recent finals goal before this tournament, in their opening match of Antwerp 2014 against Romania.

Karim Bachar, Belgium coach: "I'm very proud of my players. It's a great win, but then again, we always play to win. It was important to score first, and it's true that Belarus put us under a bit of pressure after that, but even in the first half we had the best chances to score one more. We've proved in the past that we are capable of playing at this level, and only people who don't know us well can be surprised.

"There's not much time to celebrate because we face the hosts [Slovenia] next, and it will be very hard, not only because of their quality but also because they have the support of their fans."

Aleksandr Chernik, Belarus coach: "There's not much to say after a defeat like this. We were penalised for a lack of concentration early on and, after that, they were simply better than us in one-on-ones. We had our chances to score when we were only losing by one goal, but we were not efficient enough.

"I don't think this result will affect our morale or put us down, because there are still two matches to play and anything can happen. We face Spain next, but now is not the time to panic. I'm sure we will do better from now on."

Omar Rahou, Player of the Match and Belgium captain: "It feels like a dream. To score three goals and to win our first match is just amazing. What a day! We deserved this result and we played really well, like a real team. I think that was the secret of our success against a very good Belarus team.

"We always play to win, and when we play like we did today, it's really difficult to beat us. I hope we can continue this way, and now we face another very good team [Slovenia] who play at home in front of their fans. We rest and go again."