Futsal EURO 2022, Netherlands: All you need to know

Portugal emerged triumphant at UEFA Futsal EURO 2022 after rallying from 2-0 down to defeat Russia 4-2 in the final. That was the closing chapter of the 12th edition of the competition and the first since the switch from a biennial 12-team tournament to a 16-nation finals held every four years.

The Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) staged the finals in Amsterdam and Groningen, with the action running from 19 January to 6 February. It was the Netherlands' first major tournament in the sport since hosting the inaugural FIFA Futsal World Cup in 1989.

Seven-time winners Spain completed the podium by beating Ukraine 4-1 in the match for third place.

Winners: Portugal
Runners-up: Russia
Third place: Spain
Fourth place: Ukraine

Player of the Tournament: Zicky Té (Portugal)
Top scorer: Birzhan Orazov (Kazakhstan)

Schedule

The 16 contenders were drawn into four groups of four on 18 October at the KNVB Campus in Zeist. The top two in each group progressed to the knockout phase, starting with the quarter-finals.

FINAL/THIRD-PLACE MATCH

Sunday 6 February

Final
Portugal 4-2 Russia

Third-place match
Spain 4-1 Ukraine

SEMI-FINALS

Friday 4 February
Ukraine 2-3 Russia
Portugal 3-2 Spain

QUARTER-FINALS

Tuesday 1 February:
Russia 3-1 Georgia
Spain 5-1 Slovakia

Monday 31 January:
Portugal 3-2 Finland
Kazakhstan 3-5 Ukraine

GROUP STAGE

Saturday 29 January

Group C
Slovakia 5-3 Croatia
Russia 5-1 Poland

Group D
Georgia 0-8 Spain
Azerbaijan 4-2 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Friday 28 January

Group B
Kazakhstan 4-1 Italy
Slovenia 1-2 Finland

Group A
Ukraine 0-1 Portugal
Netherlands 2-3 Serbia

Wednesday 26 January

Group D
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-2 Georgia
Spain 2-2 Azerbaijan

Tuesday 25 January

Group C
Croatia 0-4 Russia
Poland 2-2 Slovakia

Monday 24 January

Group B
Italy 2-2 Slovenia
Finland 2-6 Kazakhstan

Sunday 23 January

Group A
Serbia 1-6 Ukraine
Portugal 4-1 Netherlands

Saturday 22 January

Group D
Georgia 3-2 Azerbaijan
Spain 5-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Friday 21 January

Group C
Russia 7-1 Slovakia
Poland 1-3 Croatia

Thursday 20 January

Group B
Kazakhstan 4-4 Slovenia
Italy 3-3 Finland

Wednesday 19 January

Group A
Serbia 2-4 Portugal
Netherlands 3-2 Ukraine

Qualifying

A record 50 teams entered the competition with 49 competing to join the Netherlands, who have a bye to the finals.

Qualifying was in four stages:

Qualifying round: The 33 teams not involved in the Futsal World Cup elite round competed in mini-tournaments. The nine group winners progressed direct to the qualifying group stage. The nine runners-up and the five third-placed teams with the best record against the top two in their section went to the qualifying round play-offs.

Qualifying round play-offs: The 14 teams competed in two-legged ties for the remaining seven qualifying group stage spots.

Qualifying group stage: The 16 teams who took part in the Futsal World Cup elite round joined the 16 that came through the qualifying round groups or play-offs. For the first time in Futsal EURO history, the eight groups of four teams competed home and away over a period of several months rather than in one-venue mini-tournaments. The eight group winners and six best runners-up qualify direct for the finals.

Play-off: The two runners-up who did not progress from the qualifying group stage (Serbia and Belarus) met home and away, with a draw having determined the order of ties. The winners, Serbia, joined the other 15 contenders in the finals.

Venues

Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam: Group stage, knockouts

The 10,500-seater arena opened in 2012 and, as well as staging major indoor sports, it is a leading concert venue.

MartiniPlaza, Groningen: Group stage

The 3,900-seater arena opened in 1989 and was expanded in 2000. It has staged major tennis and basketball events as well as concerts and exhibitions. It is the home of the Donar basketball team.

Road to the Netherlands: calendar

Qualifying round draw: 7 November 2019
Qualifying round: 29 January–1 February 2020
Qualifying round play-off draw: 13 February 2020, Nyon 
Qualifying round play-offs: 2 November–9 December 2020
Qualifying group stage & play-off draw: 2 September 2020, Nyon 
Qualifying group stage: 6 December 2020–14 April 2021
Final tournament draw: 18 October 2021, Zeist
Play-offs: 14–17 November 2021
Final tournament: 19 January–6 February 2022, Netherlands

Past finals

2018: Portugal 3-2 Spain (aet): Ljubljana, Slovenia
2016: Spain 7-3 Russia: Belgrade, Serbia
2014: Italy 3-1 Russia; Antwerp, Belgium
2012: Spain 3-1 Russia (aet); Zagreb, Croatia
2010: Spain 4-2 Portugal; Debrecen, Hungary
2007: Spain 3-1 Italy; Porto, Portugal
2005: Spain 2-1 Russia; Ostrava, Czech Republic
2003: Italy 1-0 Ukraine; Caserta, Italy
2001: Spain 2-1 Ukraine (golden goal); Moscow, Russia
1999: Russia 3-3 Spain (aet, 4-3 pens); Granada, Spain
1996*: Spain 5-3 Russia; Córdoba, Spain

*UEFA European Futsal Tournament, championship status from 1999 onwards