Futsal. A game unlike outdoor soccer, and unlike anything else in the whole world. The ball is hard and heavy, and the moves the players pull off with flair are nothing short of amazing. Stars have been born from this competition, namely Ronaldinho. In short, you have to watch it to believe it. The largest futsal extravaganza in the world just started off the other day, with the opening ceremony of the 2008 Futsal World Cup, which is being held in Brazil right now. The tournament has 20 teams in it, all competing to hold up that trophy at the end. For some, this is the highlight of their life, and they will be playing with passion and flair which will hold the eye of many a viewers. However, in retrospect, really there are only about three teams who are competing the trophy, because they are so far ahead of the rest of the teams, that their main competition will be the other two futsal powerhouses. Here is my top three ranking for the Futsal World Cup 2008 Brazil-
- Brazil- The hosts are ranked #1 in the world right now, and they’ll be living up to the ranking with the winning of the tournament. The fact that they are hosting the event helps their cause by a long way too. They have been denied the past two World Cup titles by Spain, however this time around, and they’ll be playing amazing futsal. Brazil are coming at the tournament like a freight train, and nobody
will be able to slow them down or stop them at all.
- Spain- The reigning champions are entering the tournament with not only one, but two consecutive World Cup wins, and will be a force to be reckoned with. They will perform well, with wins on every step of the way to the championship, however Brazil will be to large and good a force to stop. They will win every game until the finals, where they will be humbled by the hosts, 6-1.
- Italy- Although their football team can win on the big stage, Italy have under produced in futsal ever since they began competing in the tournament. However, this year, with their technical skills, the Azzuri will be looking mighty strong with goals and more goals. They are coming out of the qualifying stages with maximum points, and a 27 goal difference after just three games!!! Can they carry that into the actual tournament? Yes, I believe they can, and will have a good, strong finish at 3rd place.
These are my predictions for the Futsal World Cup and the top three teams I believe will emerge from the tournament with silverware. We’ll be tuning in onto the tournament, and trying to bring regular updates to you from the tournament.
