LAS 6 - History of Futsal

• The origin of Futsal (Five-a-Side Soccer) can be traced back to Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930 when Juan Carlos Ceriani devised a five-a-side version of soccer for youth competition in YMCAs.
• The game is played on basketball-sized courts, both indoors and out without the use of sidewalls.
• It is derived from the Spanish or Portuguese word for "soccer"-- FUTBOL or FUTEBOL,
• French or Spanish word for "indoor" -- SALON or SALA.
• The game is frequently referred to as Five-A-Side or Mini-soccer.
• Once Ceriani got the ball rolling, Futsal gained rapid popularity throughout South America, particularly in Brazil.
• Pele, Zico, Socrates, Bebeto and other Brazilian superstars developed their skill playing Futsal.
• The first international competition took place in 1965, when Paraguay won the first South American Cup.
• The first Futsal World Championship conducted under the auspices of FIFUSA (before its members integrated into FIFA in 1989) was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1982, with Brazil finishing in first place.
• The Brazilians repeated as champions at the second World Championship in 1985 in Spain, but lost in the third World Championship in 1988 in Australia to Paraguay.
• The Third FIFA World Championship was held November 24 through December 11, 1996, in Spain and for the first time FIFA names it the FIFA Futsal World Championship.
• The Fourth FIFA Futsal World Championship was held in Guatemala between November 18 to December 4th, 2000.
• The Fifth Futsal World Championship was held in Taipei in December 2004.