# 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The 2016 [FIFA Futsal World Cup qualification](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-futsal-world-cup-qualification) (UEFA) was the European qualifying competition that decided which seven UEFA national futsal teams joined the 24-team finals in Colombia from 10 September to 1 October 2016[1](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defa1d80b5b-f6b853182b57-1000--competition-format/). It ran in three stages between October 2015 and April 2016 and produced seven qualifiers: [Azerbaijan](https://www.edgepedia.org/azerbaijan), Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and Ukraine[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Berths at stake | Seven of the 24 places at the finals in Colombia, 10 September to 1 October 2016[1](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defa1d80b5b-f6b853182b57-1000--competition-format/) |
| Stages | Preliminary round 22–25 October 2015; main round 10–13 December 2015; seven two-legged play-offs on 22 March and 12 April 2016[1](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defa1d80b5b-f6b853182b57-1000--competition-format/) |
| Preliminary round | 23 teams in six groups; winners Moldova, Sweden, France, Latvia, England, and Finland advanced[3](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defb0724e3f-3c347ac9a1f6-1000--six-sides-sew-up-world-cup-main-round-berths/) |
| Main round | Seven four-team mini-tournaments; the top two in each of the 14 advancing sides went to the play-offs[4](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defb65cd3db-ecaad7487f09-1000--fifa-futsal-world-cup-play-off-lineup-set/) |
| Qualifiers | Azerbaijan, Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Ukraine[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/) |
| First-time qualifiers | Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan reached a FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time as UEFA members[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/) |
| Leading scorer | Cardinal of Portugal, 8 goals[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/) |
## Format
UEFA's competition format, published in June 2015, set out three stages[1](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defa1d80b5b-f6b853182b57-1000--competition-format/):
1. A preliminary round from 22 to 25 October 2015, drawn on 2 July.
2. A main round from 10 to 13 December 2015, also drawn on 2 July.
3. Seven two-legged play-offs on 22 March and 12 April 2016, drawn on 12 February in Belgrade.
The lowest-ranked entrants competed in the preliminary round, and the six group winners progressed to join the remaining 22 sides in the main round, which consisted of seven four-team mini-tournaments. The top two in each group advanced to the two-legged play-offs, which decided Europe's seven qualifiers[1](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defa1d80b5b-f6b853182b57-1000--competition-format/).
## Preliminary round
The preliminary round draw, made on 2 July 2015, placed 23 teams in six groups. Four sides made their competition debuts: Denmark, Wales, Sweden, and [Gibraltar](https://www.edgepedia.org/gibraltar)[5](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defa6f670d1-f156aef5e9fe-1000--futsal-world-cup-qualifying-draws-made/). The groups were Georgia, Moldova, Andorra, and Gibraltar in [Group A](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-a); Greece, [Montenegro](https://www.edgepedia.org/montenegro), Sweden, and San Marino in Group B; France, Lithuania, Albania, and Malta in Group C; Latvia, Armenia, Cyprus, and Estonia in Group D; Israel, England, Denmark, and Wales in Group E; and Finland, Bulgaria, and Switzerland in Group F[5](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defa6f670d1-f156aef5e9fe-1000--futsal-world-cup-qualifying-draws-made/).
**Group winners.** Played on 22, 23, and 25 October 2015, the round produced six winners, all of them described by UEFA as competition debutants at this stage of the World Cup: Moldova (Group A), Sweden ([Group B](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-b)), France (Group C), Latvia (Group D), England (Group E), and Finland (Group F)[3](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defb0724e3f-3c347ac9a1f6-1000--six-sides-sew-up-world-cup-main-round-berths/). In the December main round they joined seeded opposition, with Moldova drawn against European champions Italy and France facing the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and [Kazakhstan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kazakhstan)[3](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defb0724e3f-3c347ac9a1f6-1000--six-sides-sew-up-world-cup-main-round-berths/).
## Main round
The main round ran from 10 to 13 December 2015 in seven groups. The top two in each group reached the play-offs, and ten of the twelve UEFA Futsal EURO 2016 finalists were among the fourteen qualifiers[4](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defb65cd3db-ecaad7487f09-1000--fifa-futsal-world-cup-play-off-lineup-set/):
- Group 1: Ukraine, Hungary
- Group 2: Azerbaijan, Belarus
- Group 3: Russia, Serbia
- Group 4: Spain, Netherlands
- Group 5: Kazakhstan, Slovenia
- Group 6: Portugal, Poland
- Group 7: Italy, Slovakia
Among the play-off hopefuls were two-time world champions Spain, 2012 World Cup participants Italy, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine, 1989 runners-up the Netherlands, and four nations seeking a first World Cup qualification: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Slovenia, and Slovakia[4](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defb65cd3db-ecaad7487f09-1000--fifa-futsal-world-cup-play-off-lineup-set/).
## Play-offs
The play-off draw in Belgrade on 12 February 2016 paired each group winner with a runner-up, with no team able to meet a side from its own main round group; the two-legged ties on 22 March and 12 April would decide Europe's seven qualifiers for Colombia[4](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defb65cd3db-ecaad7487f09-1000--fifa-futsal-world-cup-play-off-lineup-set/). Spain, chasing a third title after wins in 2000 and 2004, were drawn against Slovenia, while Russia, Spain's opponent in the UEFA Futsal EURO 2016 final, faced Belarus[6](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defcf83cd0b-77f2452145e6-1000--fifa-futsal-world-cup-play-off-draw/).
**Outcomes.** All seven ties were completed by 13 April 2016, and the winners were Azerbaijan, Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and Ukraine[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/). Three ties drew particular attention:
- Spain lost the first leg 1-0 in Slovenia, their first defeat in 46 UEFA Futsal EURO and World Cup qualifying or play-off games, and trailed on the away-goals rule with six minutes left of the return in Melilla before goals from Raúl Campos, Miguelín, and Aicardo gave them a 5-1 victory[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/). Spain thereby maintained their record of never failing to qualify for a major tournament, reaching all eight World Cups held to that point[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/).
- Azerbaijan qualified for the first time, a 4-4 draw with the Netherlands in Baku taking them through 9-5 on aggregate[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/).
- Kazakhstan, fresh from a third-place finish on debut at UEFA Futsal EURO 2016, qualified from Europe for the first time by beating Poland 7-0 in Almaty; the country had previously appeared at the 2000 World Cup while a member of the Asian Football Confederation[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/).
Italy eliminated Hungary in the only tie decided on the final Wednesday, and Portugal, Ukraine, and Russia also advanced; all three had lost in the 2012 quarter-finals in Thailand[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/).
## Records and notes
Portugal's Cardinal finished as qualifying top scorer with 8 goals[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/). The first leg between Serbia and Portugal at Arena Belgrade drew a crowd of 6,602, a record attendance for any European Futsal World Cup or UEFA Futsal EURO qualifier[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/). All seven qualifiers had played in the UEFA Futsal EURO 2016 quarter-finals that February; the hosts of that tournament, Serbia, were the side that missed out, losing to a Portugal team they had beaten in the Belgrade group stage[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/). The draw for the expanded 24-team final tournament took place on 19 May 2016[2](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/).
## References
1. [Competition format, Futsal World Cup 2016, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defa1d80b5b-f6b853182b57-1000--competition-format/)
2. [Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Spain into World Cup, Futsal World Cup 2016, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defd7fff8c1-f25cf792f1ec-1000--azerbaijan-kazakhstan-spain-into-world-cup/)
3. [Six sides sew up World Cup main round berths, Futsal World Cup 2016, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defb0724e3f-3c347ac9a1f6-1000--six-sides-sew-up-world-cup-main-round-berths/)
4. [FIFA Futsal World Cup play-off lineup set, Futsal World Cup 2016, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defb65cd3db-ecaad7487f09-1000--fifa-futsal-world-cup-play-off-lineup-set/)
5. [Futsal World Cup qualifying draws made, Futsal World Cup 2016, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defa6f670d1-f156aef5e9fe-1000--futsal-world-cup-qualifying-draws-made/)
6. [FIFA Futsal World Cup play-off draw, Futsal World Cup 2016, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0defcf83cd0b-77f2452145e6-1000--fifa-futsal-world-cup-play-off-draw/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › Other FIFA competitions › FIFA Futsal and Beach Soccer World Cups › FIFA Futsal World Cup qualification*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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