In the group stage, Thailand finished second in Group B after beating Croatia 2-1, Cuba 10-5 and Brazil 1-9. This is the fourth consecutive World Cup that Thailand has advanced past the group stage and into the round of 16.
In the previous 3 times, the Thai team stopped at the first knockout round. However, this year, they will have a great opportunity to make history, winning a ticket to the quarterfinals. In the round of 16, the "War Elephants" will meet the French team - the 10th ranked team in the world. This is the first time the French futsal team has participated in the World Cup.
France played quite impressively in the group stage, beating Guatemala 6-3, Venezuela 7-3 and Iran 1-4. However, in terms of experience in the World Cup, they lost to Thailand. In addition, in terms of strength, the European team is not too superior to Thailand - the team ranked 25th in the world.
If they reach the quarterfinals, Thailand will meet the winner of Afghanistan vs Paraguay. Afghanistan, in their first World Cup appearance, played quite impressively and won a ticket to the next round as one of the four third-place teams with the best results.
Their challenge is Paraguay – ranked 17th in the world and much stronger. Historically, Paraguay has passed the group stage in the last 4 World Cups, reaching the quarter-finals in 2016.
The remaining Asian representative in the round of 16 of the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup is Iran – the 6th ranked team in the world. Iran finished first in Group F after easily defeating France, Guatemala and Venezuela. However, in the round of 16, Asia's number 1 team will face a formidable opponent, Morocco – the 8th ranked team in the world.
Morocco is one of the fastest-improving teams of the past year and promises to cause Iran a lot of trouble. If they advance, Iran will most likely face Brazil – the 5-time World Cup champions and currently the world's number 1 team.
