Courtesy: FIFA.com


Tournament set to open with a bang in Colombia

09 Sep 2016

The floors of the pitches are polished, the goal nets are pulled taut and the sense of anticipation is growing among teams and fans as the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016 finally gets underway. This is the day the 336 players and 24 participating nations have been waiting for. FIFA.com looks ahead to the tournament.

Match of the day
Colombia – Portugal, 20.00 (local time)
Hosts Colombia will face European heavyweights Portugal to kick off the global showdown in front of their own fans. The Portuguese, spearheaded by star player Ricardinho, are hoping to pull off a major coup in South America, while Colombia likewise have their sights set on glory after making their tournament debut four years ago and sensationally finishing fourth.

By way of contrast, Portugal are already experienced World Cup campaigners, recording their best placing in 2000 when they finished third. Although qualifying for this competition was not all plain sailing, the Iberians still believe a place on the podium is possible. Whether they achieve that or not may depend on Cardinal repeating his performances from qualifying, where he ended up as top scorer with eight goals.

The other matches
In the second Group A encounter, newcomers Uzbekistan will test their mettle against CONCACAF runners-up Panama. Los Canaleros reached the last 16 in their World Cup debut in 2012.

The first match of the day will be contested by Cuba and Egypt in Group B. Although the North Africans have taken part at every Futsal World Cup since 1996, they have never progressed as far as the quarter-finals. Cuba have a similar history, having featured at four finals to date without ever getting beyond the group stage.

The game between Thailand and Russia in Group B pits veritable Futsal World Cup veterans against each other. This will be a fifth tournament outing for both teams and while the Asians reached the last 16 for the first time ever at the last edition, the Europeans regularly reach the latter stages.

Player to watch
Suphawut Thueanklang (THA)
The 26-year-old striker is one of the biggest futsal stars in Asia. He netted 14 times to top the scoring chart during the continental qualifying campaign and is also his country's all-time top scorer. Four years ago, he played a key role in Thailand's march to the last 16, and is aiming higher this time around. "The objective is the quarter-finals," he told FIFA.com.

The stat
1 – In 13 Futsal World Cup matches so far, Cuba have scored 24 goals and conceded 92, losing 12 times and recording just one solitary victory. It was, however, a memorable one: a 10-2 triumph over Solomon Islands in 2008.

The words
"You don't expect to play a team like that in your first game in the first round. We know that we can beat anyone. It'll be a great match for the fans and for the spectacle of futsal." Angellott Caro (Colombia captain)

Match schedule

Group A
Uzbekistan – Panama (Coliseo el Pueblo, Cali, 18.00)
Colombia – Portugal (Coliseo el Pueblo, Cali, 20.00)


Group B
Cuba – Egypt (Coliseo Ivan de Bedout, Medellin, 16.00)
Thailand – Russia (Coliseo Ivan de Bedout, Medellin, 18.00)

(All times given are local)



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com