Futsal Finalissima 2026 in Brazil: All you need to know

The second Futsal Finalissima will be played at Arena Niterói in Rio de Janeiro state on 6 and 8 November.

Holders Portugal, Spain, Argentina and hosts Brazil will take part in the knockout competition. Portugal won the first edition in Argentina in 2022, among the events initiated after UEFA and CONMEBOL signed a renewed and extended Memorandum of Understanding on 15 December 2021.

Who will play in the 2026 Futsal Finalissima?

The contenders are the finalists from UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 and the 2026 CONMEBOL Copa América de Futsal, which both concluded in February. At Futsal EURO, Spain beat Portugal 5-3 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to reclaim the title, six days after Brazil had defeated Argentina 2-1 in Luque, Paraguay, to remain South American champions.

The Futsal Finalissima semi-finals will each be repeats of those continental deciders, ensuring a Europe vs South America trophy match.

When is the Futsal Finalissima played?

Where is the Futsal Finalissima played?

Arena Niterói opened this June in the city of Niterói, around 15km from central Rio de Janeiro. The arena is designed to stage basketball, handball and volleyball as well as futsal and is part of the wider Concha Acústica Sports Park complex, which first opened in 1975.

How does the Futsal Finalissima work?

The Futsal Finalissima is played in a straight knockout format. If the semi-finals or third-place match are level after 40 minutes, they will go straight to penalties. If the final is level after 40 minutes, there will be ten minutes of extra time, followed, if needed, by penalties.

Who played in the previous Futsal Finalissima?

The inaugural Futsal Finalissima was played from 15 to 18 September 2022 at Parque Roca in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the semis, Portugal beat Paraguay and Spain defeated Argentina. Paraguay then overcame Argentina for third place, and in the final Miguel Mellado gave Spain a late first-half lead but Afonso Jesus equalised in the 28th minute and Portugal won the eventual penalty shoot-out 4-2 – adding the Futsal Finalissima to the FIFA Futsal World Cup they had won in 2021 and the Futsal EURO title they claimed in 2018 and successfully defended in 2022.

Why was the Futsal Finalissima introduced?

The tournament is part of the cooperation between UEFA and CONMEBOL, which includes men's and women's football, youth categories, the exchange of referees, technical training schemes as well as these European-South American championship fixtures.

The first such contest to be held was the men's football Finalissima in 2022. Argentina beat Italy 3-0 at Wembley. The same stadium staged the first football Women's Finalissima in 2023, and this time the game went Europe's way as England edged out Brazil 4-2 on penalties after a dramatic 1-1 draw.

There is also an annual Under-20 Intercontinental Cup between the UEFA Youth League winners and the Copa Libertadores Sub-20 champions, the fifth edition of which was the first to be played in Europe, Real Madrid defeating Santiago Wanderers 3-1 on 19 September at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.