Road to the final

European qualifying for the 2020 FIFA Futsal World Cup is in four stages: preliminary round, main round, elite round and play-offs.

Preliminary round: 29 January–3 February 2019
The 16 top-ranked sides are excused the preliminary round, but the other 32 compete in eight groups of four teams. The top two from each progress.

Main round: 22–27 October 2019
The eight group winners and eight runners-up from the preliminary round join the 16 top-ranked teams in the rankings in eight groups of four. The two top from each progress.

Elite round: 28 January–2 February 2020
The 16 teams are split into four groups of four. The four group winners will qualify for the finals and the four runners-up will go into the play-offs.

Play-offs: 9 & 12 April 2020
The four sides will be drawn into two ties, played on a home and away basis, to decide Europe's last two qualifiers.

Finals: 12 September–4 October 2020
Twenty-four teams, including hosts Lithunia and the other six European qualifiers, compete in six groups of four. The two two from each, plus the four best third-placed teams, progress to the knockout phase.

Further details, including the criteria for separating teams that finish level on points in a group, can be found in the official competition regulations.