Jankauskas and Kike to join FIFA Futsal World Cup Draw
Futsal legend Kike and Lithuanian football great Edgaras Jankauskas will help decide the fate of the 24 FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021™ contenders as they join the stage for the Official Draw at the Home of FIFA on 1 June.
Kike, a FIFA Futsal World Cup™ two-time winner with Spain in 2000 and 2004, and Edgaras Jankauskas, the first Lithuanian footballer to ever win the UEFA Champions League in 2004, will be the draw assistants for the ceremony scheduled at 17:00 CET at the Home of FIFA in Zurich.
“The FIFA Futsal World Cup is the event all best futsal players in the world want to compete in. I have amazing memories of the four FIFA Futsal World Cups I played in for Spain. Especially in 2000 and 2004 when we won both editions. For the competition to return to Europe after more than 20 years is fantastic and I am sure European fans will really embrace it,” says Kike.
“It is very exciting for Lithuania to host a FIFA tournament for the very first time. It is a big deal for our country and a great honour. I am sure that Lithuanian fans will fall in love with futsal after seeing the best players competing in the Futsal World Cup. It is also a great feeling for the national futsal team to be able to play at home in such an important competition. I really look forward to the action,” comments Jankauskas.
Based on a ranking built on past sporting performance, the 24 qualified teams have been allocated to four pots of six teams as follows:
- Pot 1: Lithuania, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, RFU*, Portugal
- Pot 2: IR Iran, Paraguay, Egypt, Costa Rica, Thailand, Czech Republic
- Pot 3: Solomon Islands, Japan, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Panama
- Pot 4: Morocco, Vietnam, USA, Uzbekistan, Angola, Venezuela
Hosts Lithuania, who will be competing in their first‑ever FIFA tournament, will be pre-assigned to position A1 and play their debut match in Kaunas.
The ceremony will be streamed live on FIFA YouTube to allow participants to follow proceedings from their home countries.
All 24 teams have already qualified for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021™, with Thailand and Vietnam being the last two teams to qualify from the AFC on 25 May after winning their play‑off matches.
The FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021™ is set to kick off on 12 September in Kaunas, Vilnius and Klaipėda. The champions will be crowned on 3 October at Kaunas Arena. It will be the first time ever that Lithuania hosts a FIFA event.
More information on the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021™ is available on FIFA.com.
*Football Union of Russia, being the member association of the Russian Federation. In accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and a December 2020 decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, this team will participate in the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021™ as neutral athletes of its national sports federation.
