FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012

The AFC Futsal Championship 2012, which serves as the region's qualifying competition, will be played from 18 to 25 May 2012.

South and Central Zone: As the Maldives withdrew from the preliminary competition, the AFC Futsal comitee decided to award the other three countries Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - with a spot at the AFC Futsal Championship.  

AFC Futsal Championship: Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, China PR, Korea Republic, Turkmenistan, Kirgisistan, Tadschikistan and Chinese Taipei have already secured their ticket to the continental showpiece. Iran, Uzbekistan, Japan and hosts UAE qualified automatically.

The top four finishers at the AFC Futsal Championship will qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012.

Details on the CAF qualifiers will be available soon. The three best teams from these qualifiers will qualify for the Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012.

Draw: July 2011.

Europe’s first qualifying round took place in October 2011, with the main round (which consisted of mini-tournaments involving seven groups of four) following in December. After the UEFA Futsal EURO, which takes place in Croatia between 31 January and 11 February 2012, seven home-and-away play-offs involving the 14 teams below will take place between 25-28 March and 8-11 April 2012.

Group winners: Spain, Italy, Serbia, Portugal, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Russia

Group runners-up: Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary

The draw will be made at the Sheraton Hotel, Zagreb at 11.30CET on 11 February with the group winners and runners-up to be paired off (excluding teams from the same section). The seven play-off winners will then progress to the final tournament.

Eight teams will participate in the CONCACAF Futsal Championship from July 2-8 at the Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Six teams qualify directly: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA.

The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) will conduct a six-team regional tournament between February 17 and 23 at Polideportivo Kid Chocolate in Havana, Cuba.  The field is made up of host Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, St. Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago. The team with the best record (excluding Cuba) will advance to Guatemala. 

The last berth to the CONCACAF finals will be decided by a two-game playoff between Canada and El Salvador on dates to be determined. In early July, Canada will face El Salvador to play off for the last place at the CONCACAF Futsal Championship.

The top four finishers at the CONCACAF Futsal Championship will go on to compete at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012.

OFC’s preliminary competiton was played from 16 to 20 May 2011 at the Vodafone Arena in Fiji, with the Solomon Islands securing the continent’s solitary slot at Thailand 2012.

Participating teams: Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

The South American qualifiers will take place between 15-22 April in Brazil. 

The top four finishers from these qualifiers will go on to represent South America at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012.

Thailand's national futsal team qualified automatically for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012 as hosts.