They Simply Came Out and Won: Armenia’s National Team and Its Road to Euro 2026

Today, January 21, marks the start of a historic event for Armenia — the UEFA Futsal European Championship, Euro 2026. On the eve of the tournament, it is especially important to recall the path Armenia’s national team took to qualify for a continental championship for the first time in its history.

The qualification campaign became a true test of strength for the Armenian team — both in terms of the level of opposition and the intensity of the matches.

A Group of Exceptional Difficulty

Armenia’s qualification group was objectively one of the toughest in the entire campaign. The main favorite was Kazakhstan, one of the strongest futsal national teams in the world.

At the time of the matches against Armenia, Kazakhstan were ranked in the top five of the FIFA futsal rankings. Just three months earlier, they had reached the quarterfinals of the World Championship, knocking out Portugal in the round of 16 and losing only to Argentina.

Moreover, Kazakhstan played against Armenia with their strongest possible lineup:

• The legendary Higuita, a five-time World’s Best Goalkeeper
• UEFA Champions League winners Douglas Junior and Leo Jaraguá
• Leaders of Kazakh futsal — Chingiz Yesenamanov, Dauren Tursagulov, Arnold Knaub, Birzhan Orazov, and others

Any talk of a decline in form is contradicted by facts: after the matches against Armenia, Kazakhstan played two evenly matched playoff games against Italy for a place at Euro 2026 and were eliminated only in a penalty shootout.

A Fighting Draw in Kazakhstan

Armenia played their first match against the favorites away from home. Early in the game, Rafik Melikyan struck a powerful volley to beat Higuita. However, closer to the end of the first half, the hosts equalized — 1:1.

In the second half, backed by strong home support, Kazakhstan increased the pressure and by the 33rd minute had taken a 4:2 lead. It seemed the outcome was decided. But the Armenian team disagreed.

Goals from Arsen Petrosov and Migran Dermendzhyan restored parity — 4:4. The final whistle confirmed a sensational, yet fully deserved, away draw.

The Home Qualification Final

The return match in Armenia became a true final of the qualification campaign. Both teams retained chances of direct qualification to Euro 2026: Armenia needed a win or a draw, while Kazakhstan required only a victory.

In many such situations, teams choose a cautious approach. But that was not the case with Armenia. From the very first minutes, the hosts imposed a high tempo and aggressive pressing.

By the 24th minute, the score was 3:1 — Nikita Khromykh completed a hat-trick. This was followed by a spectacular goal from Aghajanyan from his own half and, ironically, an own goal by the same player.

The final score was 4:2. That evening, Armenia stepped onto the court with only one objective — to win. And that objective was achieved.

The Danish Challenge

If anyone thought the difficulties ended with Kazakhstan, they were mistaken. The draw paired Armenia with another serious opponent — Denmark’s national team, a young, bold, and rapidly progressing side.

The core of the Danish team consists of players from Herning FC, which reached the UEFA Champions League round of 16 this season. This is not just an ambitious team, but one with real European experience.

A Comeback Victory in Armenia

The first match took place in Armenia and was extremely tense. Denmark started aggressively and by the 10th minute had taken a 2:0 lead.

Once again, Armenia showed character. Goals from Rafik Melikyan and Arsen Petrosov brought the score level before halftime.

In the second half, Denis Nevedrov put Armenia ahead, Migran Dermendzhyan extended the lead, and a goal by Denmark’s Hansen became the last of the match. Final score: 4:3, a comeback victory for the hosts.

A Confident Away Performance

The return match in Denmark, despite an exhausting journey with three connecting flights, proved even more convincing for Armenia.
Goals by Nikita Khromykh, Garegin Mashumyan, and Vladimir Sanosyan secured a 3:1 victory.

The team demonstrated a high level of attacking and defensive play, strong character, and psychological resilience. Notably, even Kazakhstan left Denmark with a defeat.

Armenia’s Results in the Euro 2026 Qualifiers

Armenia — Denmark: 4:3
Kazakhstan — Armenia: 4:4
Armenia — Albania: 4:0
Albania — Armenia: 1:5
Denmark — Armenia: 1:3
Armenia — Kazakhstan: 4:2

Words of Support from Sportaran

Summing up everything said above, the entire Sportaran team would like to wish the Armenia national team good luck at the tournament, which begins tomorrow.

We know that for each of you this is the most important and long-awaited tournament of your career, and we know how long and difficult the journey has been for you to be in Kaunas today.

Each of you has your own story.

Some of you have been working toward this moment for more than ten years, while for others your career is only just beginning.
But you are all united by one thing — tremendous strength of spirit, perseverance, unity, and boundless love for your homeland.

Regardless of the match results, for us you are already champions and have forever earned a place in the hearts of Armenian fans. Thanks to you, many Armenian children have discovered this wonderful sport and have wanted to start playing it.

We wish you great success at Euro 2026 and believe that this tournament will be the first, but far from the last, in each of your careers.

We believe in you, guys. You are the best.

Armenia’s Match Schedule at Euro 2026

Armenia will play the following group-stage matches:

Armenia — Ukraine
January 22, 16:00

Armenia — Czech Republic
January 25, 13:00

Lithuania — Armenia
January 28, 19:30

All Group B matches of the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 will be held in Kaunas, Lithuania.