Women's Futsal EURO 2023 main round: Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Ukraine reach finals

Hungary, Portugal, Ukraine and holders Spain will compete in the UEFA Women's Futsal EURO 2023 finals next March after topping their main round groups.

For 2022/23, the biennial competition has returned to its regular calendar after the postponement of the second edition from 2020/21 to 2021/22. The finals of that edition were held this July, with Spain retaining the trophy ahead of Portugal, Ukraine and Hungary in Gondomar.

The 11 top-ranked nations began their bids for the 2023 finals in the main round. The other five slots were decided in May's preliminary round, with Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Slovenia advancing.

Spain, who won the first two final tournaments in 2019 and 2022, made sure they kept up their record of reaching all three as they won all their Group 1 games. Portugal, runners-up as hosts in both editions, also picked up nine points, while Ukraine – semi-finalists in 2019 and 2022 – and Hungary, who were fourth in July, likewise finished first in their sections.

Carla Vanessa, who struck eight goals for Portugal in qualifying, is now the all-time competition top scorer on 18, one ahead of Vanessa Sotelo. The Spain forward's seven strikes in the main round have taken her career tally to 17, despite her absence from the 2022 edition through injury.

Main round groups

Group 1
Qualified for finals: Spain (holders)
Also in group: Sweden, Finland (hosts), Belgium

Group 2
Qualified for finals: Ukraine
Also in group: Netherlands, Poland (hosts*), Croatia

Group 3
Qualified for finals: Portugal (hosts)
Also in group: Italy, Belarus, Slovenia

Group 4** 
Qualified for finals: Hungary
Also in group: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Czechia (hosts)

*Change of hosts
**Russia excluded

Ana Azevedo is honoured before Portugal's game against Belarus to mark her 100th cap earlier this yearPortuguese Football Federation