The 2025/26 UEFA Futsal Champions League begins next week with the preliminary round, marking the 25th season of Europe’s leading futsal competition and the first under a new format. For the Baltic region, attention is on Estonia’s Tallinn B.P. making their debut in the preliminary stage, and Latvia’s Riga Futsal Club, who will enter directly in the main round.
While holders Palma Futsal and the teams ranked 1 to 23 in UEFA’s coefficient list are already placed in the main round, 32 other contenders must compete in eight mini-tournaments between 26 and 30 August. Only the winners of these groups advance to Path B of the main round in late October.
Tallinn B.P. have been drawn into Group C alongside Slovenia’s Vrhnika, Sweden’s Borås AIK (hosts), and Turkey’s Vangölü. It is their first appearance in European competition, reflecting Estonia’s growing presence on the continental futsal stage.
Riga Futsal Club will begin in Path A of the main round, facing a challenging Group 3 that includes Portuguese giants Benfica, Serbian side Loznica-Grad 2018, and Maltese hosts Luxol St. Andrews. The top three teams in each Path A group will qualify for the round of 16 under the revised format.
This season also brings several other debutants such as Bolton (England), Borås (Sweden), Buba Mara (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Ljuti Krajišnici (Austria), Vangölü (Turkey), Veszprém (Hungary) and Vllaznia (Albania). By contrast, Azerbaijan’s Araz Naxçivan enter for a 20th time, while Andorra’s Encamp are appearing for the 18th time.
The new structure of the competition will see 12 qualifiers from Path A and four from Path B progress to a two-legged round of 16 in late November, followed by quarter-finals in February and March, and the four-team finals in May.
For the Baltic clubs, the preliminary stage offers Tallinn B.P. the opportunity to test themselves against international opposition, while Riga Futsal Club prepare for a demanding main round group against some of Europe’s strongest sides.
Source: https://www.uefa.com/uefafutsalchampionsleague/news/029c-1e7436fe7c4f-5da5a6212bac-1000–uefa-futsal-champions-league-preliminary-round-starts-tu/
