Charleroi and Araz begin futsal campaigns

Former winners Action 21 Charleroi and last season's bronze-medallists Araz Naxçivan are among the sides beginning their campaigns when the UEFA Futsal Cup main round starts on Monday.

The seven preliminary round winners have joined 17 teams given byes to this stage in six mini-tournaments. Charleroi, champions in 2005, are in Serbia to face hosts KMF Ekonomac Kragujevac, Poland's Akademia FC Pniewy and French side Kremlin Bicêtre United in Group 6 from Tuesday. On the same day Araz of Azerbaijan kick off Group 3 against Irish champions Sporting Fingal FC, Romanian hosts City US Târgu Mureş and another of last season's surprise packages, FK Nikars Riga.

Beginning on Monday are Sporting Clube de Portugal, who pipped UEFA Futsal Cup winners SL Benfica to the national title last term. They are in Slovakia for Group 1 against home team Slov-Matic Bratislava, Slovenia's FC Kobarid and KMF Zelezarec Skopje.

The top two from each group will progress to the elite round where they join holders Benfica and their fellow top seeds MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg, ElPozo Murcia FS and AFC Kairat Almaty in the 12 October draw. The four elite round group winners in November play in the finals in late April.