Mini-football World Cup opens in Baku as Azerbaijan plays Bahrain

The fifth Mini-Football World Cup opened on Monday in Baku with 32 national teams competing at the National Gymnastics Arena.

The tournament is organized by the World and European Mini-Football Federations, not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA. Teams are split into eight groups, and host nation Azerbaijan, the 2022 European champion, opens its Group A campaign against Bahrain at 20:30 local time. Azerbaijan will later face Slovenia and Mauritania.

Seven more group-stage matches are scheduled for Monday, including France vs. Chad, Ukraine vs. England, and Romania vs. Uzbekistan. The opening ceremony begins at 19:00, featuring singer Aygun Kazimova.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16. The tournament will conclude with the final on June 1.

At the 2023 World Cup in the UAE, Azerbaijan finished fourth. Past champions include the United States, Czech Republic, Mexico and Romania.