The Ukrainian futsal team will begin its participation in the 2024 World Cup qualification main round. The blue-and-yellow qualified for group 11, where they will face the Netherlands and Kosovo. Matches of the main round will conclude by March 8, 2023.

The head coach of our team, Oleksandr Kosenko, commented on the official website of the UAF about the strength of future opponents: "We were beaten by the Netherlands at Euro-2022, so we will try to take revenge for that loss. However, this is a secondary issue. A win is needed primarily because it's a new selection cycle, although the previous match against the Netherlands would add motivation.

Kosovo — a Balkan team, they are all unpredictable. Good team. All opponents prepare well and know how to play. Yes, we won Kosovo 7-1 in the World Cup qualifier for 2020, but with each year teams develop more, new players appear, many naturalize. We'll see what changes there will be. I think they are still trying to develop futsal. So we need to prepare.

I hope the Ukrainian team will manage to prepare for the main round matches. For now, we don't have any plans for preparation, you understand the situation. We need to wait a bit and see how the new championship goes."

In the main round, 36 national teams are divided into 12 groups of three teams each, where matches will be played home and away. The 12 group winners and four best runners-up advance to the elite round. The other eight second-place finishers participate in a playoff of the main round.

2024 World Cup. European Qualification. Main Round

Group 1: Spain, Moldova, Cyprus.

Group 2: Georgia, Belgium, Austria.

Group 3: Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia.

Group 4: Portugal, Belarus, Lithuania.

Group 5: Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Montenegro.

Group 6: Azerbaijan, Poland, Greece.

Group 7: Croatia, Hungary, Israel.

Group 8: Finland, Romania, Denmark.

Group 9: Serbia, France, Norway.

Group 10: Italy, North Macedonia, Sweden.

Group 11: Ukraine, Netherlands, Kosovo.

Group 12: Slovakia, Latvia, Germany.

Dates of matches

September 12-21, 2022

October 3-12, 2022

November 6-9, 2022

February 27 - March 8, 2023

Format

Qualification takes place in five stages: preliminary round (mini-tournaments), main round (groups with home and away matches), playoff of the main round (home and away matches), elite round (groups with home and away matches) and playoff of the elite round (home and away matches).

Main Round Playoff

Drawing: March 10, 2023.

Matches: April 10-19, 2023.

Eight teams will be divided into four pairs, matches will take place home and away. Winners advance to the elite round.

Elite Round

Drawing: July 5, 2023.

Matches: will be concluded by December 20, 2023.

Twenty teams will be divided into five groups of four teams each, matches will take place home and away. Five group winners advance to the World Cup 2024. Four best second-place finishers advance to the playoff of the elite round. If the European association is selected for hosting the final tournament, only two best second-place finishers will advance to the playoff of the elite round.

Elite Round Playoff

Drawing: January 25, 2024.

Matches: April 8-17, 2024.

Four teams will be divided into two pairs (if only two teams participate in the playoff, a draw will determine the order of matches), matches will take place home and away. Winners advance to the World Cup 2024.