Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008 Finalists

Brazil and Spain are going to decide the FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008. The hosts advance to the final after defeating Russia by 4x2. Spain advances after defeating Italy by 3x2 with a last second goal.

This is the sixth edition of the Futsal World Cup. The current finalists are the only two teams to won the cup until now. Brazil won it three times (1989/1992/1996) and Spain, two times (2000/2004).

For those that aren't into the sport, Futsal is an indoor version of association football. Its name is derived from the Portuguese "Futebol de Salão".

Futsal is played between two teams of five players, one of whom is the goalkeeper, and up to seven substitutes per team. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, the game is played on a hard court surface delimited by lines; walls or boards are not used. Futsal is also played with a smaller ball with less bounce than a regulation football. The rules create an emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique as well as ball control and passing in small spaces.

Some professional players start out with futsal to build fundamental skills. Brazilian players Ronaldinho, Robinho, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Juninho and many more started out playing futsal. In Brazil, the majority of children start out with Futsal rather than association football since it requires less space and many schools in the country do not have a field to play traditional association football. There are also some notable players like Falcão who continue to play futsal at the club level.

Due to the small size of the court, the fewer number of players and the easier requirements to play, Futsal is considered by many people now as the most played sport in Brazil, even more then the most popular one, soccer.

The final match will be held next Sunday, 19th at 10:30h local time in Rio de Janeiro. Some will be able to follow the match online at the Fifa's website.