How lucky is Armenia with its group at the Futsal EURO? We analyze the opponents.

On October 24, the Armenian national futsal team learned its group-stage opponents for the final tournament of UEFA Futsal EURO 2026, which will take place from January 21 to February 7 in Lithuania, Latvia, and Slovenia.

Under the guidance of the highly experienced coach Ruben Nazaretyan, the Armenian team will play in a major international tournament for the first time in its history. Armenia was drawn into Group B together with Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine.

Group B Analysis: A Favorable Draw for Armenia

At first glance, Armenia received a rather favorable draw. From Pot 4, the team got Lithuania, the lowest-ranked side according to UEFA (35th). Other possible opponents could have been stronger hosts — Latvia (27th) — or even Hungary (20th) and Belgium (18th).

From Pot 2, Armenia drew the Czech Republic (10th) — the lowest-ranked team among the possible opponents. Armenia has a positive head-to-head record against the Czechs, and it’s important that the team avoided the powerful Croatia.

From Pot 1, the main goal was to avoid Portugal (the reigning champion) and Spain, who recently defeated Armenia twice by a large margin. Fortunately, that was avoided.

As a result, Groups C and D, featuring Spain and Portugal, look significantly stronger, while Groups A and B include clearer outsiders — Lithuania and Latvia.
Group B, where Armenia plays, appears more balanced: on paper, Lithuania is weaker than Latvia, and the Czech Republic weaker than Croatia.

UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 Draw Results

Group B lineup (UEFA ranking):

• Ukraine — 5th

• Czech Republic — 10th

• Armenia — 13th

• Lithuania — 35th

Armenia’s Opponents at Futsal EURO 2026

Czech Republic

The Czech national team qualified for EURO 2026 by finishing first in Group 9 of the qualifiers.
In six matches, the Czechs achieved five wins and one draw against Serbia (4–4), scoring 23 goals and conceding 9. Their main rival was Belgium, but the Czechs confidently won both matches — 3–0 and 3–2.

Recently, Armenia and the Czech Republic were in the same 2024 World Cup qualifying group, where Ruben Nazaretyan’s team won both encounters:

• Czech Republic – Armenia 1:4 (2023)

• Armenia – Czech Republic 4:2 (2022)

At that time, Armenia had four Brazilian players, which is now prohibited. However, key goals came from Sanosyan (hat-trick), Khromykh (hat-trick), and Melkonyan, all of whom remain with the national team.

The Czech Republic missed the last two European Championships, last appearing in 2016, where they lost to France and Azerbaijan. However, they won bronze medals in 2003 and 2010.

The squad mainly consists of players from the domestic league. The team is experienced but beatable for Armenia.

Ukraine

Ukraine is the favorite of Group B and the most accomplished team in the group.

They have missed only one European Championship (1999). The Ukrainians were runners-up twice — in 2001 and 2003, and reached the quarterfinals five more times.

At EURO 2022, Ukraine finished fourth, losing to Spain in the bronze medal match. At the 2024 World Cup, they achieved historic success by winning bronze, defeating France in the third-place match.

Armenia and Ukraine have never met in official matches.

Most Ukrainian futsal players compete in domestic clubs, with some playing abroad in Poland and Spain.

In the EURO 2026 qualifiers, Ukraine topped their group, winning all six matches with a stunning goal difference of 37–5.

They recorded dominant victories over Germany (9–0, 5–3), Cyprus (7–0, 11–1), and harder-fought wins against Romania (3–1, 2–0).

Lithuania

The Lithuanian national futsal team has never played at a European Championship but did participate in the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup as hosts. They did not advance from the group stage, losing all three matches.

For EURO 2026, Lithuania did not go through qualifiers and instead prepared through friendlies and the Baltic Futsal Cup. In the most recent edition, they finished fourth, losing to Latvia and Denmark, and drawing with Estonia.

In September 2025, Lithuania played two friendlies against Ukraine, losing 3–5 and 0–7.

Their squad consists mostly of domestic league players, and Armenia and Lithuania have never met before.

How Armenia Qualified for EURO 2026

The Armenian futsal team had never played at a major tournament before, but in recent years it has made remarkable progress.
Head coach Ruben Nazaretyan has led the team since 2003, single-handedly developing futsal in the country for many years.

During the 2024 World Cup qualifiers, Armenia had a strong run of seven consecutive victories, defeating the Czech Republic, Bosnia, Kosovo, Scotland, and Bulgaria. In the final stage, challenges arose due to the ban on Brazilian players, forcing a rapid squad rebuild.

By the time of the EURO 2026 qualifiers, Armenia was fully prepared.
They achieved five wins and one draw in a group that included Kazakhstan, one of the world’s top teams. Victories over Denmark, Albania, and Kazakhstan secured first place and a historic qualification for the European Championship — this time without any foreign players.

Armenia’s qualification results:

• Armenia – Denmark: 4–3

• Kazakhstan – Armenia: 4–4

• Armenia – Albania: 4–0

• Albania – Armenia: 1–5

• Denmark – Armenia: 1–3

• Armenia – Kazakhstan: 4–2

Conclusion: Armenia’s Chances for Success

Group B appears balanced and offers Armenia a realistic chance to advance from the group.
The key match will be the second-round clash against the Czech Republic, where Armenia already has a positive record.

Ukraine remains the favorite, but Armenia can fight for second place and potentially reach the knockout stage — a historic achievement.

Armenia’s Group Stage Schedule at EURO 2026

• Armenia vs. Ukraine — January 22, 16:00

• Armenia vs. Czech Republic — January 25, 13:00

• Lithuania vs. Armenia — January 28, 19:30

All group-stage matches will be held in Kaunas, Lithuania.