Azerbaijan’s national mini-football team will begin their UEFA EMF European Championship campaign today in Bratislava as the reigning world champions aim to add another major trophy to their growing collection, İdman.Biz reports.
The tournament, which runs until 4 June in Slovakia, marks Azerbaijan’s return to the stage where they previously lifted the European title in 2022. That triumph also came on Slovak soil and helped establish the team as one of the dominant forces in international mini-football.
Despite entering Euro 2024 with high expectations, Azerbaijan finished only fifth in the previous edition of the tournament. However, after winning the 2025 WMF World Championship in Baku, expectations surrounding the current squad have risen significantly.
Azerbaijan have been drawn into Group F alongside France, Italy and Austria. Their opening match comes against Austria, who are currently ranked 24th out of 30 teams in the European Minifootball Federation rankings. Austria did not participate in Euro 2024 and have undergone major changes since then.
Italy, ranked 16th in Europe, are also not viewed as one of the tournament’s strongest contenders. France appear to represent the toughest challenge in the group after reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2024, where they finished one place above Azerbaijan. The French side are currently ranked sixth in Europe and ninth in the world by the WMF rankings.
However, Azerbaijan already defeated France 3-1 at the previous European Championship, a result that strengthened belief within the squad ahead of this year’s competition.
Alongside Azerbaijan, Serbia and Romania are considered among the main favourites to win the title. Azerbaijan currently sit top of the WMF world rankings, ahead of Serbia and Romania, while Romania lead the EMF European rankings with Azerbaijan second and Serbia third.
Serbia enter the tournament as reigning European champions, while Romania remain the most decorated team in European mini-football history after winning six consecutive continental titles between 2010 and 2015.
Hungary, runners-up at the 2025 World Championship in Baku, as well as Kazakhstan and Bulgaria, are also expected to challenge for the latter stages of the tournament.
Azerbaijan will now look to repeat their memorable 2022 triumph in Slovakia and strengthen their status as the leading team in world mini-football.
