Meet the UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 semi-finalists: Croatia vs Spain, France vs Portugal

Croatia meet Spain and France take on holders Portugal in the UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 semi-finals at Arena Stožice in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Wednesday.

CROATIA VS SPAIN

• These teams drew 3-3 in a dramatic group match at Futsal EURO 2014. Spain won group games against Croatia 3-0 in 2001 and 3-1 in 1999, and also beat them 5-0 in the 2000 FIFA Futsal World Cup second group stage.

Croatia

How they qualified: Main round Group 5 winners (9-2 h vs Azerbaijan, 3-2 a vs Sweden, 1-0 a vs Greece, 6-2 h vs Sweden, 6-0 h vs Greece, 4-1 a vs Azerbaijan)

Group A runners-up: 2-2 vs France (Riga), 2-2 vs Georgia (Riga), 4-1 vs Latvia (Riga)
Quarter-finals: 3-0 vs Armenia (Kaunas)

Top scorers (finals): Duje Kustura, David Mataja 3
Top scorers (including qualifying): David Mataja 7

Futsal EURO best: Fourth place (2012)
Futsal EURO 2022: Group stage
2024 World Cup: Round of 16

Semi-final record: W0 L1

2012: 2-4 vs Russia (Zagreb)

Key fact: A competition-record crowd of 14,300 watched Croatia's 2012 semi-final against Russia in Zagreb.

Spain

How they qualified: Main round Group 8 winners (9-0 a vs Switzerland, 6-1 h vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6-0 a vs England, 7-0 h vs England, 6-0 h vs Switzerland, 3-2 a vs Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Group C winners: 4-1 vs Slovenia (Ljubljana), 2-0 vs Belarus (Ljubljana), 10-3 vs Belgium (Ljubljana - Tivoli Arena)
Quarter-finals: 4-0 vs Italy (Ljubljana)

Top scorer (finals): Antonio Pérez 4
Top scorers (including qualifying): Cecilio Morales, Antonio Pérez, Adrián Rivera 5

Futsal EURO best: Winners x 7 (1996, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2016)
Futsal EURO 2022: Third place
2024 World Cup: Round of 16

Semi-final record: W9 L3
2022: 2-3 vs Portugal (Amsterdam)
2018: 5-5aet, 3-1pens vs Kazakhstan (Ljubljana)
2016: 5-3 vs Kazakhstan (Belgrade)
2014: 3-4aet vs Russia (Antwerp)
2012: 1-0 vs Italy (Zagreb)
2010: 8-1 vs Czechia (Debrecen)
2007: 2-2aet, 4-3pens vs Portugal (Gondomar)
2005: 5-0 vs Ukraine (Ostrava)
2003: 1-2 vs Italy (Caserta)
2001: 2-1 vs Russia (Moscow)
1999: 3-1 vs Italy (Granada)
1996: 4-1 vs Italy (Córdoba)

Key fact: As well as their domination of Futsal EUROs, Spain are Europe's only two-time World Cup winners, having lifted the trophy in 2000 and 2004. They have reached the semi-finals at all 13 Futsal EUROs and, against Belgium in the group stage, they became the first team to score ten goals in a finals game.

FRANCE VS PORTUGAL

• Portugal have won all ten previous meetings with France, most recently 4-3 and 2-1 in two away friendlies in 2019.

France

How they qualified: Main round Group 10 winners (11-0 a vs Bulgaria, 5-2 h vs Georgia, 5-0 a vs Kosovo, 9-4 h vs Kosovo, 8-0 h vs Bulgaria, 3-3 a vs Georgia)

Group A winners: 2-2 vs Croatia (Riga), 5-0 vs Latvia (Riga), 3-1 vs Georgia (Kaunas)
Quarter-finals: 4-2aet vs Ukraine (Riga)

Top scorer (finals): Souheil Mouhoudine 6
Top scorer (including qualifying): Souheil Mouhoudine 13

Futsal EURO best: Group stage (2018)
Futsal EURO 2022: Did not qualify
2024 World Cup: Fourth place

Semi-final record: First semi-final

Key fact: France drew 4-4 with Spain in their final tournament bow of 2018, and in 2024 they reached the FIFA Futsal World Cup semi-finals on debut. They were also the top scorers in this season's qualifying main round with 41 goals.

Portugal

How they qualified: Main round Group 7 winners (7-2 a vs Andorra, 4-2 h vs Netherlands, 5-1 a vs North Macedonia, 3-0 h vs North Macedonia, 5-0 h vs Andorra, 7-4 a vs Netherlands)

Group D winners: 6-2 vs Italy (Ljubljana), 5-1 vs Hungary (Ljubljana), 3-2 vs Poland (Ljubljana)
Quarter-finals: 8-2 vs Belgium (Ljubljana)

Top scorer (finals): Pany Varela 4
Top scorers (including qualifying): Lúcio Jr, Diogo Santos, Pany Varela 8

Futsal EURO best: Winners x 2 (2018, 2022) 
Futsal EURO 2022: Winners
2024 World Cup: Round of 16

Semi-final record: W3 L2
2022: 3-2 vs Spain (Amsterdam)
2018: 3-2 vs Russia (Ljubljana)
2014: 3-4 vs Italy (Antwerp)
2010: 3-3aet, 5-3pens vs Azerbaijan (Debrecen)
2007: 2-2aet, 3-4pens vs Spain (Gondomar)

Key fact: As well as winning the last two Futsal EUROs with perfect records in both final tournaments, Portugal were also victorious in the 2021 Futsal World Cup and 2022 Futsal Finalissima. They have won 15 Futsal EURO finals games in a row, and 19 including qualifying (both records), and against Belgium the 36-year-old Pany became the oldest-ever final tournament hat-trick scorer.