Futsal World Cup 2021: Everything You Should Know

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 is a men’s international futsal championship played out every four years between the national teams of the member countries of FIFA. The 2021 tournament was the ninth edition of the tournament, and Lithuania served as the host for the event. It was the third Futsal World Cup in Europe, after the Netherlands in 1989 and Spain in 1996, and the first FIFA competition ever held in Lithuania.

Dates for the competition, formerly known as the 2020 FIFA Futsal World Cup, have been pushed back from its initial plans. Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, FIFA said on April 3rd, 2020, that a decision on whether or not to postpone and reschedule the event would be taken at that time. The tournament was scheduled to occur between September 12th and October 3rd, 2021. However, FIFA said the date would be tentative until further review.

Portugal won their first World Cup after defeating reigning champions Argentina 2-1 in the championship game. They followed Spain’s 2000 and 2004 victories as the only European champions as the fourth champions.

Futsal World Cup: Host Selection

There have never been more than eight bids for the FIFA Futsal World Cup. As a result, the tournament will move to a new venue, with the final roster consisting of only four cities. Although initially interested, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Georgia, the Netherlands, and the United States ultimately decided not to submit a proposal.

The appointment of the hosts was initially scheduled for December 2016 but was pushed out to December 2017. Later on, Costa Rica, Croatia, Kazakhstan, and the United Arab Emirates were all ruled out of the running.

In a vote held on October 26th, 2018, in Kigali, Rwanda, the FIFA Council decided that Iran would be the best host country out of Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, and the United States. Lithuania beat Iran, Japan, and New Zealand to host in 2020.

Futsal World Cup: Qualified Teams

Futsal World Cup: Venues

In their attempt to host the tournament, Lithuania submitted three cities: Vilnius (Avia Solutions Group Arena), Kaunas (Zalgiris Arena), and Klaipeda (Svyturys Arena). At a press conference on November 22nd, 2018, the Lithuanian Football Federation expressed a desire to increase the number of host cities by up to three. There were also the cities of Siauliai (Siauliai Arena), Panevys (Cido Arena), and Alytus (Alytus Arena) on the list of potential hosts, all of which are presently awaiting an examination by FIFA delegations to evaluate their fitness.

In February 2019, we can expect to resume negotiations. On May 10th, 2019, a visit was made to the five possible host cities in Lithuania: Vilnius (Siemens Arena), Kaunas (Zalgiris Arena), Klaipeda (Svyturys Arena), Siauliai (Siauliai Arena), and Panevys (Cido Arena).

Venues in Vilnius (Avia Solutions Group Arena), Kaunas (Zalgiris Arena), and Klaipeda (Svyturys Arena) were selected for the tourney, which will take place on October 16th, 2019. Due to a lack of suitable hotels, the cities of Siauliai (Siauliai Arena) and Panevys (Cido Arena) were dropped off the list.

Futsal World Cup: Marketing

On January 17th, 2020, the MO Museum in Vilnius hosted the unveiling of the Emblem. The logo celebrates Lithuania’s natural wealth and technical prowess, and the Emblem’s bottom half depicts the country’s verdant, oak-studded terrain. Over the years, the native oak has been revered in Lithuania as a symbol of fortitude.

A transition from oak trees to farms and meadows in the colours of the Lithuanian flag can be seen on the FIFA Futsal World Cup Trophy, which mirrors the trophy’s shape. Lithuania’s dedication to preserving its natural heritage is reflected in the landscape’s elevated status.

The upper portion of the symbol was designed to represent Lithuania’s high-tech economy. As a symbol of the nation’s technological advancements, lasers fire into the air toward a futuristic futsal court. Ivartito, a stork (the national bird of Lithuania since 1973), was introduced as the official mascot on September 21st, 2020.

Futsal World Cup: Draw Procedure

The drawing occurred at 17:00 CEST (UTC+2) on June 1st, 2021, at the FIFA headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland. All 24 squads are split into six groups of 4.

The host nation of Lithuania was placed in position A1 and seeded into Pot 1. In contrast, the remaining teams were placed into pots according to their performance in the previous five FIFA Futsal World Cups (with performance in more recent tournaments being given more weight), and confederation champions were given bonus points.

Since there were seven UEFA teams, no group could include more than one team from that confederation. However, one group would have two UEFA teams.

Final Words

This is all the information you should remember about the futsal world cup 2021, one of the most significant sporting events in 2021. Futsal fans must reminisce about this exciting event, leaving a memory worth remembering.