2024 Futsal World Cup qualifying: format, calendar

Seven European teams will compete at the 24-team 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup with qualifying running in several phases between April 2022 and April 2024, and the first draw for the preliminary round on 7 December.

If a UEFA national association is selected to host the final tournament, they will gain an automatic place and only six teams will come through qualifying. Otherwise, all seven European places will be filled by qualifying.

• Qualifying regulations
• Special standard rules due to COVID-19

Qualifying format

Qualifying consists of five stages: preliminary round (mini-tournaments), main round (home and away groups), main round play-offs (home and away), elite round (home and away groups) and elite round play-offs (home and away).

• The 24 teams with the lowest coefficients as of November 2021 entered the preliminary round: Moldova, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Turkey, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Armenia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Andorra, San Marino, Estonia, Malta, Scotland, Gibraltar, Austria, Northern Ireland.
• All other entrants* start in the main round group stage: Spain, Portugal (holders), Kazakhstan, Croatia, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Italy, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Finland, Romania, Slovakia, Georgia, Belarus, Netherlands, Hungary, France, Belgium, Latvia, North Macedonia.

*Russia excluded

Preliminary round (draw 7 December 2021, matches 5–12 April 2022)

• The 24 teams are drawn into six groups of four teams, played as mini-tournaments.
• Group winners and runners-up progress to main round along with the best third-placed team (Norway).

Group A
Through to main round: Germany (hosts), Montenegro
Also in group: Gibraltar, San Marino

Group B
Through to main round: Denmark, Cyprus, Norway (hosts)
Also in group: Malta

Group C
Through to main round: Armenia, Kosovo
Also in group: Bulgaria (hosts), Scotland

Group D
Through to main round: Lithuania (hosts), Israel
Also in group: Turkey, Northern Ireland

Group E  
Through to main round: Sweden (hosts), Austria
Also in group: Albania, Andorra

Group F
Through to main round: Moldova (hosts), Greece
Also in group: Switzerland, Estonia

Main round (draw 7 July 2022, matches to be completed by 8 March 2023)

• The 36 teams are drawn into 12 groups of three teams, played home and away.
• The 12 group winners and four best runners-up progress directly to the elite round.
• The remaining eight runners-up enter main round play-offs.

Main round play-offs (draw 10 March 2023, matches 10–19 April 2023)

• The eight team are drawn into four ties, to be played home and away.
• The winners of the ties complete the elite round line-up.

Elite round (draw 5 July 2023, matches to be completed by 20 December 2023)

• The 20 teams are drawn into five groups of four teams, played home and away.
• The five group winners qualify directly for the finals.
• The four best runners-up enter the elite round play-offs. If a European association is selected to host the finals, only the two best runners-up will enter the elite round play-offs.

Elite round play-offs (draw 25 January 2024, matches 8–17 April 2024)

• The four teams will be drawn into two ties (or if only two teams enter, a draw will be held to determine the order of matches).
• The winners of the tie(s) qualify for the finals.

World Cup roll of honour

2021: Portugal 2-1 Argentina (Lithuania)
2016: Argentina 5-4 Russia (Colombia)
2012: Brazil 3-2 aet Spain (Thailand)
2008: Brazil 2-2, 4-3 pens Spain (Brazil)
2004: Spain 2-1 Italy (Chinese Taipei)
2000: Spain 4-3 Brazil (Guatemala)
1996: Brazil 6-4 Spain (Spain)
1992: Brazil 4-1 United States (Hong Kong)
1989: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands (Netherlands)