A 14-player squad has been named to represent New Zealand at their first-ever FIFA Futsal World Cup.
The Futsal Whites are among the 24 nations who will meet in Uzbekistan in September to decide who’ll become champions of the world.
Of the squad, 10 players are based domestically and four internationally, playing in Australia, England and Spain.
New Zealand squad
Name / caps/goals, club
Rahan Ali (15 /16) Moreland Futsal, Australia
Mike Antamanov (15/1) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Steve Ashby-Peckham (44/17) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Jordan Ditfort (26/13) Bloomsbury Futsal, England
Hamish Grey (15/7) Zambú CFS Pinatar, Spain
Oban Hawkins (20/7) Southern United, Aotearoa New Zealand
Miroslav Malivuk (42/23) Palmerston North Marist, Aotearoa New Zealand
Dylan Manickum (66/38) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Ethan Martin (15/8) Waikato Rapids, Aotearoa New Zealand
Adam Paulsen (15/6) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Casey Sharplin (15/5) Waikato Rapids, Aotearoa New Zealand
Patrick Steele (12/0) Waikato Rapids, Aotearoa New Zealand
Art Twigg (10/3) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Logan Wisnewski (20/5) Bloomsbury Futsal, England
Qualification for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 marks a huge moment for futsal in Aotearoa, after eight previous qualification campaigns saw the side fall just short.
The team’s qualification success was recently matched by the Futsal Ferns who on Sunday August 25, 2024, defeated Fiji 7-1 to qualify for the first-ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, set to be held in the Philippines in 2025.
Head coach of the Futsal Whites, Marvin Eakins, said: “Taking a team to the FIFA Futsal World Cup is a massive achievement and the result of years of hard work by the futsal community across the country.
“This squad represents a great blend of youth and experience, from players who have proudly represented Aotearoa New Zealand in previous campaigns, to newer players for whom this has been their first international activity.
“This team is united on and off the court and are all passionate about showcasing futsal by performing at the highest level of the game.
“Futsal’s growth is only going in one direction, and it is a privilege to lead this team to the World Cup for the first time.”
Aotearoa New Zealand (FIFA rank #19) have been drawn in Group D at the tournament alongside Libya (#50), Kazakhstan (#8), and Spain (#3).
The FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 can be watched live and free on FIFA+.
To prepare for the tournament, the Futsal Whites will travel to Thailand for a warm-up tournament against Afghanistan, Guatemala, Kuwait, and Thailand.
Travelling reserves Thomas Picken (Firefox Hachioji, Japan), Vaughan Somerville, and Denny Twigg (both Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand) will join the squad.
READ MORE: Futsal Whites line up four international matches to prepare for World Cup >>>>
World Cup draw
# indicates current rating in latest FIFA world rankings
Group A
- Uzbekistan (#11)
- Netherlands (#36)
- Paraguay (#13)
- Costa Rica (#31)
Group B
- Brazil (#1)
- Cuba (#78)
- Croatia (#16)
- Thailand (#9)
Group C
- Argentina (#5)
- Ukraine (#12)
- Afghanistan (#30)
- Angola (#47)
Group D
- Spain (#3)
- Kazakhstan (#8)
- New Zealand (#19)
- Libya (#50)
Group E
- Portugal (#2)
- Panama (#44)
- Tajikistan (#34)
- Morocco (#6)
Group F
- IR Iran (#4)
- Venezuela (#21)
- Guatemala (#40)
- France (#10)
Group fixtures
Game to be played on Sunday September 15, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand v Libya
Andijan Universal Sports Complex, Andijan, Uzbekistan, 10pm (NZT)
Game to be played on Thursday September 19, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand v Spain
Andijan Universal Sports Complex, Andijan, Uzbekistan, 1am (NZT)
Game to be played on Saturday September 21, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand v Kazakhstan
Humo Arena, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 10.30pm (NZT)
About the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup
The six group winners, six runners-up and the four best third-placed teams will go into a Round of 16 knockout stage.
The winners go forward to quarter-finals, before sudden death semi-finals and the final.
Host cities
The three host cities for the FIFA Futsal World Cup, the first FIFA event to be staged in a Central Asian country, have been decided, with the capital, Tashkent, being joined by the ancient Silk Road trading centre of Bukhara and the city of Andijan in the Fergana Valley.
Champions
1989: Brazil
1992: Brazil
1996: Brazil
2000: Spain
2004: Spain
2008: Brazil
2012: Brazil
2016: Argentina
2021: Portugal
Golden Ball winners
1989: Victor Hermans (Netherlands)
1992: Jorginho (Brazil)
1996: Manoel Tobias (Brazil)
2000: Manoel Tobias (Brazil)
2004: Falcao (Brazil)
2008: Falcao (Brazil)
2012: Neto (Brazil)
2016: Fernando Wilhelm (Argentina)
2021: Ricardinho (Portugal)
Most participations at a FIFA Futsal World Cup
Not including Uzbekistan 2024
9 – Spain
9 – Argentina
8 – IR Iran
7 – Australia
7 – Egypt
7 – Italy
7 – Paraguay
7 – Russia
6 – Portugal
6 – Thailand
6 – USA
5 – Costa Rica
5 – Cuba
5 – Guatemala
5 – Japan
5 – Ukraine
4 – Czechia
4 – Netherlands
4 – Solomon Islands
3 – Belgium
3 – China PR
3 – Kazakhstan
3 – Morocco
3 – Panama
2 – Colombia
2 – Libya
2 – Serbia
2 – Uzbekistan
2 – Vietnam
1 – Algeria
1 – Angola
1 – Azerbaijan
1 – Canada
1 – Chinese Taipei
1 – Croatia
1 – Denmark
1 – Hungary
1 – Kuwait
1 – Lithuania
1 – Malaysia
1 – Mexico
1 – Mozambique
1 – Nigeria
1 – Poland
1 – Saudi Arabia
1 – Venezuela
1 – Zimbabwe
This story was first published on August 28, 2024.
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