KUWAIT CITY: Futsal, the ‘Kutty Football’ competition at the Kunjukalam, will be in full swing in Kuwait from Tuesday. The 17th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Futsal Championship will begin on Tuesday in Kuwait. The matches will be held at the Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Sports Complex Hall in Kuwait City. 16 countries will compete in four groups in the championship which will last till October 8. Kuwait is in Group A which includes Iraq, Thailand and Oman. Group B consists of Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Iran, Lebanon, China and Indonesia are in Group C. Group D consists of Japan, Vietnam, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.
The teams from each group will compete against each other in the first round. The two teams with more points will qualify for the quarter finals. Kuwait’s first match is against Oman on the opening day. They will face Thailand on the 29th and Iraq on the 1st of October. The quarter-finals will be held on October 4, the semi-finals on October 6 and the final on October 8. Iran are the defending champions. The championship was postponed for the last two years due to covid.
Kuwait team ready
Coach Hussain Habib said that the Kuwaiti team is ready for the AFC matches starting on Tuesday. He said that the team has been training for days and will be able to perform well in front of their own fans. Kuwait is one of the best teams in the tournament. Friendlies against Hungary, Uzbekistan and Spain have already been completed. Kuwait team won the recent Gulf Gazi and West Asia tournament. Meanwhile, Kuwait last appeared in the AFC tournament in 2014. The best finish was fourth place in the 2003 and 2014 tournaments.