The draw for the 2024 Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan has been finalized for the month-long tournament starting in September. Twenty-four nations will compete in the highly anticipated tournament, which will be the first FIFA-organized event to be held in Central Asia.
The tournament will take place from September 14 to October 6 in three cities in Uzbekistan, including the capital Tashkent, Andijan, and Bukhara. After six groups of four nations, the first and second-place finishers in each group will advance directly to the knockout stage, with the best four performers from the third-place group advancing to the knockout stage to determine the overall winner.
The teams are seeded according to the rankings, which FIFA released earlier this month for the first time ever. Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Iran and Argentina, along with hosts Uzbekistan, are in Port 1, while Morocco, Kazakhstan, Thailand, France, Ukraine and Paraguay are in Port 2.
Croatia, New Zealand, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Costa Rica, and Tajikistan are in Port 3, while the Netherlands, Guatemala, Panama, Angola, Libya, and Cuba are in Port 4. South Korea did not qualify for the tournament after being eliminated in the group stage at the 2024 Futsal Asian Cup in Thailand last month.
The draw ceremony began with an opening video message from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, followed by a speech from Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA) Vice-President Rashan Irmatov, the introduction of the tournament’s official theme song, a traditional Uzbek performance, and the group draw.
The draw was conducted by Szerber Zeparov, who holds the Uzbekistan record for most caps (128) and is a familiar face to local soccer fans, as well as Spanish futsal legend Kike and former 사설토토 Manchester United, Everton and Fulham player Rui Saa.
Hosts Uzbekistan were drawn in Group A alongside the Netherlands, Paraguay, and Costa Rica, while heavy favorites Brazil were drawn in Group B with Cuba, Croatia, and Thailand. Argentina, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Angola are in Group C, while Spain, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, and Libya are in Group D.
Defending champions Portugal will compete in Group E alongside Panama, Tajikistan, and Morocco, while Asia’s reigning champions Iran will compete in Group F alongside Venezuela, Guatemala, and France. Afghanistan, France, New Zealand, and Tajikistan are making their first appearance at the tournament.