Futsal
International futsal match between Argentina and Egypt at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics | |
| Highest governing body | FIFA[a] |
|---|---|
| First played | 1930, Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Yes |
| Team members | 5 per side |
| Mixed-sex | No, separate competitions |
| Type | Team sport, ball game |
| Equipment | Futsal ball Futsal shoes Shin guards Kits |
| Venue | Futsal court |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Worldwide |
| Olympic | No (except the Youth Olympics since 2018) |
| Paralympic | No |
Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch.[2] Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game of association football, and it also shares similarities with five-a-side football and indoor soccer.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper. The players mainly use their feet to propel a ball around the court with the objective of scoring goals against the opposing team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into the opposing team's goal. A futsal match consists of two periods of 20 minutes, and the team that scores more goals wins; an equal number of goals scored results in a draw. Futsal is played with a smaller and heavier ball than association football,[3] and usually indoors on a hardcourt surface marked by lines.
The playing surface, ball and rules favour ball control and passing in small spaces. For these reasons, futsal is commonly used by coaches as a means to develop association football players.[4] Futsal is played worldwide, but it is most popular in South America and the Iberian Peninsula, where there are many professional teams.[5] In much of the rest of the world, the sport is primarily amateur or recreational.
- ^ "FAF Futsal Rules 2022" (PDF). Federation of Australian Futsal. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ "World Cup 2014: Futsal – the game behind Brazil's superstars". BBC Sport. 2 July 2014. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ "What is Futsal? The Differences Between CUSA's Futsal, Outdoor and Indoor Soccer Programs" (PDF). Calgary United Soccer Association (CUSA). Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
- ^ "Futsal: Your Pathway to Soccer Greatness | Soccer Tricks". 7 March 2024. Archived from the original on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Townsend, Jon (28 August 2014). "Following in the futsal shadows". These Football Times. Archived from the original on 15 March 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
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