New-look UEFA Futsal Cup main round begins

The new-look UEFA Futsal Cup main round runs from Tuesday until next Sunday with 32 teams chasing 16 elite-round berths.

• No teams now receive byes to the elite round, with the main round now split into two paths. 
• Path A consists of 16 teams including the holders Inter FS. In addition, the sides ranked 1st to 11th and 16th to 19th in the UEFA Futsal Cup club coefficient rankings (excluding the holders) are in Path A. The top three in each of the four groups advance to the elite round.
• Path B comprises the other 16 teams (ranked 12th to 15th and 20th  downwards, including the eight preliminary round qualifiers – two per Path B group). The winners of the group groups go into the elite round.

Main round groups
Path A
Group 1 (11–14 October): Kairat Almaty (KAZ), FC Dynamo (RUS), Pescara (ITA), Stalitsa Minsk (BLR, hosts)

Group 2 (11–14 October): Inter FS (ESP, holders), Dina Moskva (RUS), Braga/AUUM (POR), Brezje Maribor (SVN, hosts)

Group 3 (11–14 October): Sporting CP (POR), Ekonomac Kragujevac (SRB, hosts), Nikars Riga (LVA), MFC Kherson (UKR)

Group 4 (11–14 October): Barcelona (ESP), EP Chrudim (CZE), Győr (HUN), Luparense (ITA, hosts)

• The top three teams in each of the four groups progress to the elite round.

Path B
Group 5 (12–15 October): Nacional Zagreb (CRO, hosts), Garges Djibson (FRA), Leo Futsal Club (ARM), FC Liburn (KOS)

Group 6 (10–13 October): Slovan Bratislava (SVK, hosts), Georgians Tblisi (GEO), Bielsko-Biała (POL), 't Knooppunt (NED)

Group 7 (11–14 October): Halle-Gooik (BEL), Sievi FS (FIN, hosts), SSV Jahn 1889 Regensburg (GER), Futsal Minerva (SUI)

Group 8 (11–14 October): Araz Naxçivan (AZE), FC Deva (ROU, hosts), Luxol St Andrews (MLT), Mostar SG (BIH)

• The group winners progress to the elite round.

Club guide

• Inter won their record fourth title last season and aim to become the first team to retain the trophy since Playas de Castellón won the inaugural finals in 2002 and 2003.
• Kairat beat Dynamo in the 2013 final and these two former winners meet again in Group 1; the other two former champions involved are Inter and Barcelona.
• Spain, Russia, Italy and Portugal all have two entries under a new expanded competition system.
• Chrudim have got through the main round ten years in a row.
• Braga, Kherson and Garges Djibson are making their debuts while Liburn, Regensburg, Mostar, Leo and 't Knooppunt all came through the preliminary round on their first entries.
• Luxol were the first club from Malta to survive a round of this competition in making this stage.

Elite round & Final tournament

• The 16 clubs will compete in four groups of four, drawn on 19 October.
• The four group winners in November will progress to the final tournament in April, with the hosts picked from among the qualifiers.

Calendar
Elite round draw: 19 October
Elite round: 21–26 November
Finals draw: tbc
Finals: 19 or 20 & 21 or 22 April