New Zealand are set to play four international futsal games at the Continental Futsal Championship in Thailand. It will conclude the Futsal Whites’ preparations for their debut at the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
The Continental Futsal Championship is organized by the Football Association of Thailand and will be played from August 31 to September 6, 2024, in Thailand. New Zealand will play four other participants at the tournament, including the hosts Thailand.
Among the five participants, only Kuwait did not qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup. The teams that will be seen in action in Thailand include (in order of their FIFA rankings):
- Thailand (9)
- New Zealand (19)
- Afghanistan (30)
- Kuwait (35)
- Guatemala (50)
Afghanistan will also be the debutant at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan. They have improved a lot in recent years and will be expected to give fierce competition to other teams as they prepare for the mega event.
Teams will arrive in Thailand a couple of days before the start of the tournament. While we have the dates, there’s no official word yet on the schedule of the games. The tournament will be played at the Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium in Bang Len, Thailand.
New Zealand qualified for the FIFA Futsal World Cup last year as they won the OFC Futsal Nations Cup. The Futsal Whites will conclude their preparations for the mega event in Thailand, and their World Cup campaign will begin with the Group D fixture against Libya on 15th September. Spain and Kazakhstan are also drawn in Group D for the mega event.
The FIFA Futsal World Cup will be held in Uzbekistan between September 14 and October 6, 2024, across three Uzbek cities: Tashkent, Andijan, and Bukhara.