Ahead of Aotearoa New Zealand's first appearance at the FIFA Futsal World Cup this September, Futsal Los Blancos have decided on a three-match series. Ho Chi Minh Sity They will face IR Iran (FIFA rank 7), Morocco (FIFA rank 8), and host Vietnam (FIFA rank 38).
The series will run from March 26th to April 1st. Lambinh Tan Stadium, Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam.
IR Iran and Morocco are among the powerhouses in international futsal, and both reached the quarterfinals of the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
IR Iran has participated in every FIFA Futsal World Cup since 1992, finishing third in the 2016 tournament and winning the AFC Asian Futsal Cup a record 12 times.
Morocco won the Arab Futsal Cup three times in a row (2023, 2022, 2021) and the last Futsal Confederations Cup in 2022.
Vietnam is aiming to participate in the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the third consecutive year, and qualifying will be held after this series, with them advancing to the Round of 16 in 2021.
Futsal Los Blancos will kick off against Vietnam on Thursday 28th March at 5pm (11pm NZ time), followed by IR Iran on Saturday 30th March at 2pm (8pm NZ time). They will face Morocco on Sunday 31st March at 2pm (8pm New Zealand time).
Futsal Los Blancos head coach Marvin Eakins believes this series is a great opportunity for the team to experience top-level competition ahead of the FIFA Futsal World Cup later this year.
“We are delighted to be taking our team to Vietnam in March to play against the best teams in the world, which will be an important part of our preparations for the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
“We go to the World Cup to compete and hopefully make history. These games are very important in preparing the team to perform on the biggest stage.”
Article added: Monday, February 26, 2024