With all eyes on the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024, the trophy for the mega event has arrived in Uzbekistan and handed over to the hosts.
Another milestone has been achieved in the build-up to Uzbekistan 2024 – the first-ever FIFA Futsal World Cup to be played in Central Asia – as FIFA hands over the trophy to the hosts.
The Uzbekistan Football Association vice president, Ravshan Irmatov, and sports minister of the country received the glittering trophy from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
A small ceremony was held for the trophy handover in in Paris where secretary general of the Uzbekistan National Olympic Committee Oybek Kasimov and the vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia Otabek Umarov were also present.
The Futsal mega event will begin from September 14, 2024 across the three host cities: Tashkent, Bukhara, and Andijan. The 10th edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup will feature 24 teams from all the six confederations, including the hosts Uzbekistan.
Afghanistan, New Zealand, Tajikistan, and France will be making their world cup debut at the mega event while Portugal will be defending their world title won three years back in Lithuania.
The teams were placed in six groups at a delightful draw ceremony held at the historic Registan Square – a UNESCO World Heritage site in Samarkand – in May.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino handed over the trophy to the Uzbek deligation at FIFA’s office in Paris and appreciated the hard work put in by the hosts as they prepared for the historic World Cup event.
He said, “We had a taste of what to expect when the draw took place against a spectacular backdrop in Samarkand in May, and I am looking forward to a fantastic tournament in this amazing and beautiful country.”
The Uzbek delegation also took a tour of the museum at the FIFA office. They admired the exhibits on display, including a piece from Uzbekistan that was previously used by their former referee, Mr Irmatov, while officiating FIFA World Cup matches.
“It was also nice to take a tour of the museum in our beautiful office here to view memorabilia honoring the great history of our beautiful sport, including a piece from Ravshan Irmatov’s time as a referee,” said Infantino.