Excitement about this year’s FIFA Futsal World Cup™ in Uzbekistan is building after FIFA and adidas unveiled the tournament’s official match ball.

Drawing on the event’s ‘Masters of Speed’ motto, the design reflects the fast-paced nature of futsal, as well as Uzbekistan’s rich cultural heritage. 

Five eye-catching interpretations of kalampir peppers – a key ingredient in traditional Uzbek cuisine – adorn the ball, each one masterfully crafted in a way that represents a player in motion, never standing still, just like on the futsal pitch.

The capsicum also forms a striking part of the competition’s Official Emblem, which is shaped like the FIFA Futsal World Cup trophy, with five forms of the kalampir peppers forming a ball at the top.

The new match ball will make its official debut when the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024™ – the first FIFA tournament to be held in Central Asia – kicks off in Bukhara and the capital Tashkent on 14 September. 

The eastern city of Andijan completes the trio of host cities for the 24-team competition. 

The 2024 edition will be the 10th in FIFA Futsal World Cup history and will run until 6 October.

Futsal has grown rapidly in Uzbekistan – and across Central Asia – over the last decade. 

The White Wolves participated in the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time in 2016 and went on to reach the knockout phase in 2021, losing one of the most pulsating games in the tournament’s history 9-8 to IR Iran in the last 16.

Uzbekistan will be joined at the competition by all four former champions – Argentina, Brazil, Portugal and Spain – and four debutants in Afghanistan, France, New Zealand and Tajikistan. 

Angola, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Guatemala, Iran, Kazakhstan, Libya, Morocco, the Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela round out the line-up, having successfully negotiated a 121-team qualifying field.

Earlier this year, the first-ever FIFA Futsal World Ranking was published for both the men’s and the women’s game, with the top six teams – Brazil, Portugal, Spain, IR Iran, Argentina and Morocco – heading to Uzbekistan next month.

The launch of the ranking was a major milestone and reinforced futsal’s position as a rapidly-expanding version of the beautiful game, which more countries than ever before are playing.

Futsal has also grown in popularity in Afghanistan over the past few years and in line with this, Ariana Television will broadcast matches live in Afghanistan. 

The national team’s first match will be played on September 15 and will see Afghanistan face Angola.