A little more than a year after the historic Futsal World Championship, the Lithuanian national team is back at Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas.

They are returning not against just anyone, but against the reigning European and world champions, Portugal, who won the last title in Lithuania.

The match in Kaunas will take place on 11 October (Tuesday) at 19:00.

This will be a qualifying match for the 2024 Futsal World Cup. The return leg will be played in Portugal in November. In addition to the Portuguese and Lithuanians, the group also includes Belarus.

“It is symbolic that this match will take place at the Zalgirio Arena, where our national team made its debut on the big stage last year and where the Portuguese lifted the World Champions Cup. During the championship we realised that indoor football really appeals to Lithuanians, so we are expecting a big support for this match as well,” said LFF Secretary General Edgaras Stankevicius.

For the Portuguese, the Kaunas Arena should evoke the best memories, as it was here that their march to the World Championship title began and ended.

In the group stage, the Portuguese defeated Thailand and Solomon Islands, drew with Morocco and won the group.

The Portuguese also went all the way to Kaunas for the play-offs. First they eliminated the Serbians in an extra time match, then they finished the Spanish journey in the same way, then they beat Kazakhstan in the semi-finals after penalty kicks, and in the final they knocked out defending champions Argentina in a dramatic battle.

Meanwhile, the Lithuanians also made their debut at the World Championships in Kaunas, where they fought hard against the national teams of Venezuela, Kazakhstan and Costa Rica.

As a reminder, the 36 teams in this qualifying round have been divided into 12 groups and will play four matches (two home and two away) between September this year and March next year.

The group winners and the top four second-placed teams will qualify for the main qualification round. The remaining eight second-placed teams will compete in a play-off for the remaining four qualification places.

The 20 teams that reach the main qualification will be divided into five groups. The winners of these groups will be awarded tickets to the World Championships. The top four second-placed teams will fight it out for the last two tickets.