Futsal betting guide

Futsal is, in a sense, a fast-paced action-packed alternative of football. Essentially, futsal means 5 vs. 5, with 4 field players and a goalkeeper, played in an indoor arena with a smaller ball in a 40-minutes match divided into two halves. Futsal players are constantly placed in demanding decision-making positions. They need to think quickly and at the same time be very creative and intelligent.

The sport is less about endurance and more about skilfulness. That is why it is so entertaining to watch. High skills, quick ball movement and frequency of goals make futsal most enjoyable spectacle. Futsal's popularity grows every year. This “smaller” version of

football was invented in Uruguay in 1930. It quickly spread across South America. The first international competition took place in 1965, when Paraguay won the first South American Cup.

Today, futsal is popular all over the world has the strongest following in Brazil, which traditionally dominates all futsal international competitions, Paraguay, Spain, Italy, Russia, Iran and Malaysia. It is regarded as an ideal way to introduce children to football. What is also interesting is that most of Brazil's top players started their sports adventure with futsal. Such football celebrities as Ronaldinho, Pele, Zico, Socrates and Bebeto all played futsal in their childhood.

• FIFA Futsal World Cup. International championship for futsal organized by FIFA. Last tournament: Brazil, 2008 (winner Brazil, runner up Italy). Next tournament: Thailand, 2012. Time: every 4 years. So far there have been only six Futsal World Cups with Brazil completely dominating the tournamnet: 1st Place (four times), 2nd Place (one time), 3rd Place (one time).
• AMF Futsal World Championships. International championship for futsal organized by FIFUSA. Last tournament: Argentina, 2007 (winner Paraguay, runner-up Argentina). Next tournament: Time: every 4 years.

• Futsal Mundialito. Futsal World Cup for invited nations. Time: annual. Last three tournaments: Algarve, Portugal (2009, 2008, 2007) – Winner: 3x Portugal. No tournamnets were organized in the years: 2003-2005.
• Grand Prix de Futsal. International futsal championship with invited nations. Time: annual, since 2005. Where: always in Brazil.
• FIFA Intercontinental Futsal Cup. International club championships for futsal.
• Futsal domestic leagues. The most popular are the Spanish futsal league (Division De Honor) and the Italian futsal league Serie A.

Futsal bet types are practically no different from football bet types. The three most popular futsal bet types are:

• Win-Draw-Win betting – predict what will be the outcome of the game: home win, draw, away team win

• Handicap betting – the underdog receives an imaginary advantage in the form of a goal/goals, so that for the sake of the bet the chances of both teams wining the match are close to equal
• Over-Under betting – predict whether the number of goals scored in the game will be over or under the number given by the bookmaker