September 16 – Hosts Uzbekistan kicked off the 2024 Futsal World Cup with a 3-3 draw against the Netherlands in Tashkent.
The Central Asians welcome a FIFA tournament for the first time and kicked off the competition in style with a draw against the Dutch during an opening weekend that saw plenty of goals and drama.
South America, predictably, impressed. Brazil thumped Cuba 10-0 and Argentina waltzed past Ukraine 7-1. The Argentinians came from behind to register their biggest win ever against European opponents in the competition.
In the other Group C match, Afghanistan, returning to their first FIFA tournament in 76 years, clinched three points against Angola with a 6-4 victory.
On Monday, Portugal and Iran, two teams with a strong tradition in futsal, kick off their campaigns.
The Portuguese won the 2021 Futsal World Cup in Lithuania defeating Argentina in the final, and the last two European championships. The defending champions take on Panama while the Iranians meet Venezuela.
It’s the first time that Central Asia is hosting the tournament. Uzbekistan had been due to stage the U-20 World Cup in 2012 but were stripped of the hosting rights. This time, Tashkent, Bukhara and Andijan will stage matches during the three-week tournament which will draw to a close with the final on October 6.
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