What is Futsal?
Q: What is Futsal?
A: Futsal is a sport that is similar to association football, but played on hard court surfaces. It is most popular in South American countries like Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, but it is also played in many other countries.
Q: How many players are there per team?
A: Each team has five players on the court at any one time. There can be up to nine substitutes available for each team.
Q: How long are the halves of a game?
A: The halves of a futsal game are both twenty minutes long, which is shorter than the usual 45 minutes in football.
Q: What happens if a player breaks the rules?
A: If a player breaks the rules they can receive either a yellow or red card depending on how serious their offence was. If they receive a red card then they cannot play anymore in that game and their team must play with one less player for two minutes or until the other team scores a goal.
Q: How big is the pitch compared to football?
A: The pitch for futsal games is shorter and narrower than football pitches; it measures between 38 and 42 metres long by 20-25 metres wide.
Q: Who created Futsal?
A: Futsal was created by Juan Carlos Ceriani from Uruguay in 1930 using rule templates from Football (soccer), Basketball, and Handball.
Q: When did Futsal become an Olympic sport?
A: Futsal became an official Olympic sport for the first time at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
