Mini-football festival in Baku: Azerbaijan's second attempt

The Mini-Football World Championship kicks off tomorrow.

For the first time in history, the tournament is being held in Azerbaijan, with matches hosted at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Idman.biz reports.

The world’s top 32 teams will compete over 11 days to determine the winners. The last medalists of the fifth edition of the championship have also arrived in Baku. Among the participants are reigning champions Romania, runners-up Kazakhstan, and Hungary, who claimed bronze two years ago.

In total, three of the four national teams that have won the World Championship in the past — Czech Republic, Romania, and the USA — will compete for a second title. The only former champion not participating is Mexico, who have been replaced at the last minute by Indonesia, despite having reached the final a record three times.

In addition to the three champions, India will also be competing in the World Championship for the fifth time. Making their debut at the tournament are Bahrain, Chad, Indonesia, Mauritania, Poland, Slovenia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.

World Championship history

The 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four for the group stage. As the host nation, Azerbaijan is placed in Group A. Led by head coach Elshad Guliyev, the team will face Mauritania, Slovenia, and Bahrain.

Group A: Azerbaijan, Mauritania, Slovenia, Bahrain
Group B: Romania, France, Chad, Uzbekistan
Group C: Hungary, Ukraine, England, Turkey
Group D: Slovakia, Bulgaria, Portugal, India
Group E: Mexico, Montenegro, Thailand, Costa Rica
Group F: Kazakhstan, USA, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Poland
Group G: Czech Republic, Georgia, UAE, Argentina
Group H: Serbia, Ghana, Spain, Israel

Our national team will play its first match tomorrow, facing Asian representative Bahrain. Two days later, they will meet Slovenia, and in the final group match, they will take on Mauritania, aiming to qualify for the Round of 16.

Azerbaijan match schedule:

May 21 – 21:45. Azerbaijan vs. Bahrain

May 23 – 20:45. Slovenia vs. Azerbaijan

May 25 – 19:30. Azerbaijan vs. Mauritania

The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage to compete for medals. The Azerbaijani team will aim to build on its impressive debut at the previous World Championship held in the UAE.

In 2023, Azerbaijan topped Group G by defeating Iraq 2–0, Egypt 4–1, and Kuwait 3–1. The team then beat Portugal 3–0 and Bulgaria 3–1 to reach the semifinals in their very first appearance. However, they narrowly lost 2–3 to Kazakhstan in the semifinal and 1–3 to Hungary in the third-place match, finishing fourth — just one step away from the podium.

This time, the team is not only targeting a medal but has its sights firmly set on the championship title.

The opening ceremony of the World Championship will take place on May 21 at 19:00.

Vugar Kheyrullayev
Idman.biz