Meet the Futsal Champions League semi-finalists: Kairat vs Cartagena, Sporting CP vs Palma

UEFA Futsal Champions League holders Illes Balears Palma will compete in the 2024/25 finals alongside fellow two-time winners Sporting CP, whom they face in the semis, and another two-time winner, Kairat Almaty, who are set to take on debutants Cartagena Costa Cálida.

The knockout finals, involving the four elite round winners, will take place at Antarès in Le Mans, France, on 2 to 4 May. The draw was held on Saturday 22 February at Espace Mayenne, Laval, during half-time of the French league game between Etoile Lavalloise and UJS Toulouse.

Kairat Almaty vs Cartagena Costa Cálida

• This will be Kairat's fifth semi-final against Spanish opposition. They lost to Inter FS in 2009 and 2017, and against Barça they won in 2013 and 2010 but were beaten in 2021. Kairat also beat Barça in the 2015 final (those are their only three wins against clubs from Spain in 13 overall meetings).

Kairat Almaty (KAZ)

Road to the finals
Main round Group 4 winners (played in Almaty):
W4-0 vs Haladas, W5-1 vs Semey, W3-2 vs Sporting CP
Elite round Group B winners (played in Zagreb):
W4-2 vs Etoile Lavalloise, W1-0 vs MNK Olmissum, W5-1 vs MNK Dinamo

Top scorers: Alisson, Kevin Arrieta, Edson 4
Previous best: Winners (2013, 2015)
2023/24: Elite round
Semi-final record: W3 L7

Previous final tournament appearances
2021: Semi-finalists (eight-team finals)
2019: Runners-up (L1-2 vs Sporting CP, Almaty), hosts
2017: Third place, hosts
2015: Winners (W2-1 vs Barça, Lisbon)
2014: Fourth place
2013: Winners (W4-3 vs FC Dynamo, Tbilisi)
2011: Third place, hosts
2009: Third place
2008: Fourth place
2006: Semi-finalists (no final tournament, two-legged semi-finals)

• Kairat (like Sporting) are aiming to become the first club from outside Spain to win this competition three times.
• Kairat, who have made the elite round in all 18 seasons under this format (and got past it nine times), have played a record 109 matches in this competition from an unmatched 21 entries.
• Only Edson, Birzhan Orazov, Narun Serikov and Dauren Tursagulov remain from the team that lost their last semi-final to Barça in 2021. Among others, Higuita – whose new club Semey were beaten by Kairat in the main round – and Douglas Júnior both left at the end of last season.
• Kairat were the only team to qualify from the elite round with a game to spare.

Cartagena Costa Cálida (ESP)

Road to the finals
Main round Group 1 winners (played in Roosdaal):
D1-1 vs Record Bielsko-Biała, W4-1 vs FC Hit, D4-4 vs Sporting Anderlecht
Elite round Group A winners (played in Cartagena):
W8-1 vs Catania, W4-1 vs Riga Futsal Club, W6-1 vs United Galati

Top scorer: Pablo Ramirez 5
Previous best: First entry

• Cartagena hope to emulate Castellón (2002), Sinara Ekaterinburg (2008), Montesilvano (2011), Barça (2012), Ugra Yugorsk (2016) and Palma (2023) by winning the title in their debut season.
• Cartagena coach Duda was previously in charge of Murcia FS, leading them to the 2008 final before his side lost on penalties to Ekaterinburg.
• Cartagena qualified with victory in the Spanish play-off final against Murcia. That ended a streak in which Barça, Inter or Murcia had won the title every year since Castellón's last triumph in 2001.
• Tomaz Braga was part of the Palma team that won this title on debut in 2023, before moving to Cartagena that summer. Darío Gil (Murcia in 2020) and Waltinho (Sporting in 2022) are past runners-up, while Souheil Mouhoudine played in the 2022 finals for ACCS (losing to Waltinho's Sporting).

Cartagena have reached the finals on debutCartagena Costa Cálida

Sporting CP vs Illes Balears Palma

• Palma beat Sporting CP in the 2022/23 final to win the title on debut as hosts. They have also knocked out Benfica in the last two semi-finals. Sporting lost to Spanish sides in the semi-finals of 2002, 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2022, but beat Inter both in 2019 and 2021.

Sporting CP (POR)

Road to the finals
Main round Group 4 runners-up (played in Almaty):
W6-4 vs Semey, W2-0 vs Haladas, L2-3 vs Kairat Almaty
Elite round Group C winners (played in Lisbon):
W4-1 vs Sporting Anderlecht, W7-2 vs Plzeň, D4-4 vs Braga

Top scorer: Taynan 6
Previous best: Winners (2019, 2021)
2023/24: Fourth place
Semi-final record: W7 L4

Previous final tournament appearances
2024: Fourth place
2023: Runners-up (L1-1aet, 3-5pens vs Palma, Palma de Mallorca)
2022: Runners-up (L0-4 vs Barça, Riga)
2021: Winners (W4-3 vs Barça, Zadar, eight-team finals)
2019: Winners (W2-1 vs Kairat, Almaty)
2018: Runners-up (L2-5 vs Inter FS, Zaragoza)
2017: Runners-up (L0-7 vs Inter FS, Almaty)
2015: Third place, hosts
2012: Fourth place
2011: Runners-up (L2-5 vs Montesilvano, Almaty)
2002: Semi-finalists, hosts (eight-team finals)

• Sporting CP have reached the finals for a record 12th time (11 in the post-2006/07 format and, before that, as hosts of the eight-team final tournament that concluded the inaugural 2001/02 edition). If Sporting CP win their semi-final, they will be through to the decider for the eighth time, equalling Inter's record.
• João Matos (who has made a record 89 competition appearances) is set for his 11th final tournament with Sporting CP. Nuno Dias is set for his tenth final tournament as Sporting coach and, like Palma's Vadillo, is aiming for a record-equalling third personal triumph in charge.
• During the main round, two-time champions Sporting CP became only the second team to pass 100 matches in this competition after Kairat. Sporting CP already had the most wins (now 75) and goals (now 464).
• In January, Sporting re-signed Vinícius Rocha, who was part of their winning teams in 2018/19 and 2020/21, following an injury to pivot Allan Guilherme.

Illes Balears Palma (ESP, holders)

Road to the finals
Main round Group 3 winners (played in Palma de Mallorca):
W9-1 vs MNK Dinamo, W4-0 vs United Galati, W5-1 vs Dobovec
Elite round Group D winners (played in Palma de Mallorca):
W4-1 vs Semey, W4-1 vs Lučenec, D3-3 vs Record Bielsko-Biała

Top scorer: Fabinho 9
Previous best: Winners (2023, 2024)
2023/24: Winners (W5-1 vs Barça)
Semi-final record: W2 L0

Previous final tournament appearances
2024: Winners (W5-1 vs Barça, Yerevan)
2023: Winners (W1-1aet, 5-3pens vs Sporting CP, Palma de Mallorca), hosts

• In their third European season, Palma are aiming to become the first club to win the trophy three years in a row. Castellón (in the inaugural finals of 2002 and 2003) and Inter FS (in 2017 and 2018) currently share the record of two consecutive victories.
• They are now 22 UEFA futsal competition games unbeaten, one more than the previous record.
• Mario Rivillos, a 2017 winner with Inter before helping Palma lift the trophy in 2023 and 2024, can equal the record of four personal triumphs currently shared by Gabriel, Sergio Lozano and Ortiz. Goalkeepers Luan Muller and Carlos Barrón are also aiming for a third straight triumph with Palma. Fabinho was a winner in 2023 but injured in 2024, when Ernesto missed the final suspended. Since qualifying for the finals have signed Brazilian pivot Charuto.
• Antonio Vadillo, in charge for both previous Palma triumphs, can equal the record of three titles for a coach held by Jesús Velasco – a winner with Inter in 2017 and 2018, and Barça in 2022, before losing to Vadillo's Palma in the 2024 final.