Palma Futsal player Jesús Gordillo celebrates qualifying for the UEFA Futsal Champions League Final Four at Son Moix

A quartet of Iberian past winners will contest the UEFA Futsal Champions League finals in May after Barcelona, Benfica, holders Mallorca Palma Futsal and Sporting CP topped their elite round groups.

The knockout finals will be held on 2/3 and 4/5 May, with the hosts and draw date to be confirmed. Never before have the four-team finals been made up entirely of past winners, although in the one-off eight-club event of 2021, all the teams in the semis had previously lifted the trophy.

Having won the title with their debut last season, Palma are through to the finals again, after drawing 2-2 on Saturday against FC Hit Kyiv to earn their place. Their Ukrainian opponents had gone into the game needing a two-goal win to beat the hosts and reach the last four at their first attempt.


Last season's runners-up Sporting CP, like Barça, are in the post-2006/07 finals for a record tenth time after their deciding 4-1 win against Sporting Anderlecht in Lisbon on Sunday. The hosts led on goal difference ahead of the game after beating Loznica-Grad 2018 9-1 and Haladás 7-2, and now aim to become the first club to reach the final 2 years in a row.

Barça edged out hosts Riga Futsal Club 3-2 on Saturday to return to the finals, having missed out for the first time in ten attempts last season. Riga, two points ahead at kick-off, had reason to hope when an own goal cancelled out Adolfo's opener, but after half-time Catela and Mamadou Touré put Barça back in control.

Benfica are through to the finals for the fourth year in a row, qualifying with a game to spare. On Wednesday, the 2010 winners beat Dobovec 4-3, Jacaré striking with eight seconds left against a team the Eagles had defeated 8-1 in the main round. Earlier, two-time champions Kairat Almaty defeated hosts Prishtina 11-2, with eight different players on target.