The Futsal Whites will play four international matches in Thailand to prepare for their first-ever appearance at the FIFA Men’s Futsal World Cup.
The Confederation Futsal Championship invitation tournament will be held between August 31 and September 6, 2024, at the 4,000-seat Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium, Thailand.
Main photo: The Futsal Whites qualified for their first-ever FIFA Futsal World Cup by winning the OFC Futsal Men’s Nations Cup. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Phototek.
The FIFA Futsal World Cup starts on September 14 in Uzbekistan.
The five participating teams at the Thailand tournament will be (# FIFA rankings):
- Thailand (#9)
- New Zealand (#19)
- Afghanistan (#30)
- Kuwait (#35)
- Guatemala (#50)
Of those, only Kuwait are not taking part in the World Cup.
The Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium will host the five-nation tournament. Photo credit: Thailand Futsal.
Fixtures
Men’s Continental Futsal Championship
Game to be played on Sunday September 1, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand v Thailand
Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium, Thailand 12.30am (NZT)
Games to be played on Wednesday September 4, 2024
New Zealand v Guatemala
Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium, Thailand12.30am (NZT)
New Zealand v Afghanistan
Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium, Thailand 9.30pm (NZT)
Game to be played on Friday September 6, 2024
New Zealand v Kuwait
Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium, Thailand 9.30pm (NZT)
World Cup draw
The FIFA Futsal World Cup takes place between September 14 and October 6, 2024, in three host cities in Uzbekistan: Andijan, Bukhara and Tashkent.
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.
# 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)
This story was first published on August 15, 2024, and updated on September 1, 2024.