Bronze medal in futsal — Ukraine's first medal at the World Championships in game sports

The Ukrainian national team won bronze at the 2024 Futsal World Cup. In the match for third place, Ukraine defeated France 7-1. The goals were scored by Igor Chernyavsky (11th minute), Mikhail Zvarych (22nd minute), Yevgeny Zhuk (27th, 28th minutes), and Daniil Abakshin (30th, 30th, 33rd minutes). This bronze medal is historic for Ukraine. It is the country’s first medal in team sports at a World Championship.

Journalist and sports commentator Kostyantyn Dultsev discussed the victory on Hromadske Radio.

«Ironically, we started this tournament with a 1-7 defeat against Argentina, and we’re ending it with a 7-1 win over France. Ukraine was stronger and scored several goals. Then France took a risk by removing their goalkeeper, adding an extra field player, and ended up conceding a few more goals into the empty net.»

According to Dultsev, Ukraine had never previously won a Futsal World Cup medal. At the same time, the team did secure the European Championship titles in 2001 and 2003. He emphasized the significance of this bronze medal for Ukrainian sports. It represents the nation’s first medal in a world championship for any team sport.

Dultsev noted that Ukraine’s futsal team has always been strong, ranking closely behind top teams like Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and Portugal.

Additionally, Ukrainian player Rostislav Semenchenko was recognized as the third-best player of the tournament. Despite being the youngest member of the national futsal team, Semenchenko’s efforts were pivotal. Although he scored only one goal, Dultsev pointed out that he did a lot of “rough work” that often goes unnoticed.

Danylo Abakshin emerged as the top scorer for the Ukrainian team during the championship, scoring seven goals and providing six assists.

Futsal Culture in Ukraine

«Ukrainian futsal has deep roots,» said Dultsev.

Since the 1990s, the sport has developed significantly. Not only has professional futsal thrived, but the amateur level is also highly active. There are hundreds of amateur clubs in Ukraine playing in various leagues.

Dultsev explained that many futsal players are former professional footballers who played in youth sports schools but didn’t build careers in large-scale football. In futsal, they can continue to play professionally or join one of the amateur clubs.

However, Dultsev mentioned that in Ukraine, constant attention is mainly given to football, while most other sports, including futsal, only gain attention during the Olympic Games despite futsal’s widespread popularity at the amateur level.

Ukraine also boasts a strong women’s national futsal team. The women’s team won bronze at the European Championships in 2022 and silver in 2023. In 2025, the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held for the first time, with qualifying matches set to begin soon.