Everything you need to know about the UEFA Futsal Champions League: format and key dates

Late October marks an exciting time for futsal fans, as the main round of the UEFA Futsal Champions League begins! Dailysports has compiled all the essential information about Europe’s premier futsal club competition.

UEFA Futsal Champions League: who participates?

Unlike football, where associations’ rankings based on past performances in European competitions determine how many teams each nation can enter, futsal's allocation is determined by the performances of national teams.

The three top-ranked UEFA futsal associations (excluding Russia, which remains suspended) can enter two teams into the Champions League. If the winner of the competition comes from one of these top-3 nations, then the fourth-ranked nation gets to enter a second team. All other associations are represented by only one team.

For the 2024-2025 season, the rankings used were as of April 2023. The top five futsal nations are Portugal, Spain, Kazakhstan, and Croatia.

UEFA Futsal Champions League: what is the tournament structure?

The competition consists of four stages: the preliminary round, the main round, the elite round, and the final four.

Preliminary round: Teams ranked 24th to 55th in UEFA’s club rankings for this tournament enter this stage. A total of 32 teams are split into eight groups of four, and the winner of each group advances to the main round.

Main round: This stage is divided into two paths—Path A and Path B.

• Path A: Includes the titleholder and 15 teams ranked 1st to 11th and 16th to 19th.
• Path B: Includes teams ranked 12th to 15th, 20th to 23rd, and the eight group winners from the preliminary round.

In both paths, teams are split into four groups of four, and matches are played as a round-robin tournament hosted by one of the teams. For Path A, the top three teams in each group advance, while in Path B, only the group winner moves on.

• Read also: UEFA Futsal Champions League main round groups are set. Who will face with the reigning winners?

Elite round: The 12 teams from Path A and four from Path B form four groups of four. The winner of each group qualifies for the final four.

Final four: Held at a designated venue from May 1 to 4, 2025, the final four stage consists of two semifinals, a third-place match, and the final.

UEFA Futsal Champions League: key dates

• Preliminary and main round draw: July 4, 2024
• Preliminary round matches: August 20-25, 2024
• Main round matches: October 22-27, 2024
• Elite round draw: October 31, 2024
• Elite round matches: November 26 – December 1, 2024
• Final four: May 1-4, 2025