On May 21, the Minifootball World Cup will officially begin in Baku.
According to Report, the tournament will be held at the National Gymnastics Arena and will feature 32 national teams competing.
The opening ceremony will include performances by popular Turkish singer Aleyna Tilki and People's Artist of Azerbaijan Aygun Kazimova.
Azerbaijan's national team is in Group A, alongside Slovenia, Mauritania, and Bahrain.
The group stage line-up is as follows:
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Group A: Azerbaijan, Slovenia, Mauritania, Bahrain
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Group B: Romania, France, Chad, Uzbekistan
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Group C: Hungary, Ukraine, England, Türkiye
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Group D: Slovakia, Bulgaria, Portugal, India
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Group E: Mexico, Montenegro, Thailand, Costa Rica
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Group F: Kazakhstan, USA, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland
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Group G: Czech Republic, Georgia, UAE, Argentina
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Group H: Serbia, Ghana, Spain, Israel
This will be the fifth Minifootball World Cup organized by the World Minifootball Federation (WMF). A total of 63 countries have participated in the previous four editions.
Brief History of the WMF World Cups:
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2015, USA: The first championship featured 12 teams. The USA won the title, Mexico came second, Brazil third, and Romania fourth. Craig Chiles (USA) was named best player, while Danny Waltman (USA) was top scorer with 10 goals.
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2017, Tunisia: The number of teams increased to 24. Czech Republic won the championship, Mexico came second again, followed by Senegal (3rd) and Spain (4th). Ouday Belhaj (Tunisia) was best player, Francisco Castaño (Spain) was top scorer with 10 goals.
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2019, Australia: Expanded to 32 teams. Mexico finally clinched the title. Brazil finished second, Romania third, and Hungary fourth. Moyses Gonzalez (Mexico) was best player, Ondrej Padera (Czech Republic) was top scorer with 10 goals.
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2021: The tournament was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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2023, UAE: Romania won gold, defeating Kazakhstan in penalties (2:2 regular time). Hungary beat Azerbaijan 3:1 in the third-place match. Dragos Nitu (Romania) was best player, Marius Gabriel Balog (Romania) top scorer with 6 goals.
The final match of the 2025 World Championship in Baku will be held on June 1 at the National Gymnastics Arena.