Futsal EURO 2026: Countdown to kick-off
Friday, February 6, 2026
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Ahead of the UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 final in Ljubljana, venue manager Alex Clerc talks us through a matchday at the Stožice Arena, explaining what goes into making operations run smoothly.
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It’s 17.00, and thousands of Slovenian fans are arriving at the Stožice Arena for their final group stage match, the atmosphere already building in the concourse and the stands. There’s only half an hour to go until the co-hosts take on Belarus in a crucial final game of the group stage, but for Alex Clerc the action started hours ago.
Alex is UEFA’s venue manager at Stožice, the stage for 16 games during the final tournament, including both semi-finals, the third-place match and the final. He has spent a decade leading venue teams at major UEFA tournaments, first doing so in Nice at UEFA EURO 2016 in his native France.
Each of the four Futsal EURO arenas had its own venue manager, also responsible for coordination with the various project teams within their venue, managing everything from ticketing to TV broadcasts. They have also worked closely with the arena managers and counterparts from the host football association – the Slovenian FA in the case of Stožice.
The Futsal EURO presents a unique challenge in comparison with football, in that most matchdays see two games played in each arena. Tonight, Poland and holders Portugal wait in the wings while the hosts play Belarus in the first encounter.
Here, Alex takes us behind the scenes at Stožice to talk us through a day in his life at the Futsal EURO.
Behind the scenes at the Futsal EURO
With two fixtures to prepare for, there’s lots for Alex to consider on matchday, so it’s important for him to stay focused throughout the day. "If you want people to be calm and in a positive mindset, you need to set the right example," he says. "The venue manager is the leader onsite, and if the leader is nervous, it doesn’t send a good message to the others."
With kick-off at 17.30, Alex and the project managers from all the various teams on the ground get together for the venue team meeting to make sure everything is ready ahead of time. This meeting is crucial to the day’s preparation, reviewing the pre-defined activity plan and running through all key timings at every step in the schedule.
The venue manager's role is all about supervision and coordination – it’s up to Alex to be on hand should any issues arise, letting his colleagues know when certain parts of the arena become fully operational, as he explains.
"If you want people to be calm and in a positive mindset, you need to set the right example."
"When certain parts of the arena start to be used in an official capacity, we refer to that as going ‘active’. I let everyone know which areas need to be cleared and ready to be used in advance."
For example, the venue broadcast manager runs their final checks on the audio and video outputs for the cameras three hours before kick-off, while the venue media manager supervises the filming of the dressing rooms before the teams arrive, which is when the action really starts to heat up for Alex and his team.
UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 final
16.00: The Belarus and Slovenia team buses pull into Stožice with 90 minutes to go until kick-off, which is also when fans start to enter the arena. "After running our final checks, we open the doors and ticketing centre," Alex explains. "Depending on the number of anticipated spectators we may not open every gate, but we still need to have concessions operational for food and drink."
17.30: The teams come out onto the pitch and the anthems are played as part of the pre-match ceremony, before the first game kicks off right on time. One of futsal’s key differences from football is that the clock stops when the ball is out of play, so the exact length of matches is unpredictable. As a result, the venue team needs to be ready for the possibility that the first match may run into the planned warm up time for the second fixture.
19.00: While the first match is still going on, the teams from Portugal and Poland are arriving for the next game, highlighting the complexity of having four teams at one venue, though for Alex it’s no different from any other event. "For me it’s just one matchday. While the first match is going on I have no time to enjoy what happens on the pitch, as I am busy preparing for the next game to ensure it all runs smoothly."
19.30: The final whistle goes, with Belarus winning 3-2. For the home fans it’s a disappointing result as Slovenia bow out, but for UEFA’s assorted units on the ground, thoughts are already on the second game. While Belarus and Slovenia conduct their post-match TV interviews, the pitch must be cleaned for Portugal and Poland to start their warm-ups. After another pre-match ceremony, kick-off takes place for the final fixture of the evening at 20.30.
22.30: The second match of the night ends with Portugal beating Poland 3-2, the reigning champions snatching a late winner through Rúben Góis to continue their unbeaten start. For the venue manager, though, there’s still plenty to do. "When the game finishes, I would normally be in the concourse, to check that people are exiting the venue smoothly."
23.00: With fans having dispersed, Alex remains on hand for the few remaining ‘active’ sections of the arena. "Once the fans have left, we still have some areas of the arena that are operational, such as the media and TV facilities. At this time, I’m in the office, close to my radio and phone, ready to react in case there are any issues that come up."
23.30: The evening ends with Alex holding a debrief meeting with the other venue staff to discuss how everything went, before looking ahead to the following matchday. "We have a full informal debrief. I always do it in a positive, encouraging and open atmosphere. I find people interact better that way – they are more likely to talk together to find immediate solutions. The goal is always to improve from matchday to matchday, even if it's 1%, 2%, we always need to try to raise the bar."
Before leaving the venue, Alex completes his venue status report, which highlights any issues that might have arisen, how they were solved and if they need to be escalated further.
It's been a busy and rewarding day at the Futsal EURO – made possible by the coordinated efforts of his team. "Alone, you cannot do anything," he says. "It’s really about teamwork – for me, this is the most important thing. The venue manager’s role is to empower people to do their job in the best possible way."