Here at NetBet, we’ve got a whole load of great markets for sports betting and offer some of the best Futsal odds around. We don’t just take bets on individual contests; we offer online betting on plenty of markets across different games and tournaments on our UK betting site. If you want to place any sports bet, here’s a quick guide on how exactly you should go about it.
What is Futsal?
Futsal is an exciting, fast-paced game recognised as the official form of indoor football by FIFA and UEFA. Despite sharing many similarities with traditional football, it still manages to hold its own with its many modifications.
The game is played on a wooden, synthetic pitch defined by lines (roughly the size of a basketball court) with a smaller yet heavier low bouncing ball. It incorporates touchline boundaries with no walls or boards used and allows unlimited substitutions. Unlike the 11-a-side full-pitch football, Futsal is a small-sided, higher-scoring, and faster-paced sport since each game involves five players (including one goalie) per team, and each half lasts 20 minutes and there are no offside rules. The aim of the game, however, remains the same – scoring more goals than the rival team.
Many of the world’s greatest football players, such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Christiano Ronaldo, Christian Pulisic, and Ronaldinho, started off their careers playing Futsal and credited this small-sided sport for their exceptional skills.
According to reports, this game is played in over 100 countries, which amounts to a whopping 12 million players. In terms of professional play, over 30,000 teams from around the globe compete in organised leagues and events throughout the year.
History of Futsal
Futsal originated in 1930 when Juan Carlos Ceriani, an Argentinean physical education instructor residing in Montevideo, Uruguay, devised a five-sided, indoor variant of football for youth competitions in the local YMCAs. Ceriani carefully crafted the game’s original rules, borrowing from the rules of basketball, handball, water polo, and of course, regular football.
From there, this adaptation quickly spread throughout South America, particularly in Brazil, where a similar version of the game had begun to develop. This led to the publication of the first rulebook for this new sport in 1936 in Sao Paulo, Brazil – the true home of Futsal. Here, it was referred to as ‘futbol sala’ or ‘futebol de salao’, which translates to ‘indoor football’.
The first international Futsal competition took place in 1965, which was followed by six more South American Cups before 1979. The sport’s popularity began to spread across Latin America and resulted in the establishment of the FIFUSA (Federacion Internacional de Futbol de Salon). This federation conducted the Futsal World Championships until 1989, which was when FIFA took over, shortened Futebol de Sala to ‘Futsal’, and organised the first FIFA Futsal World Championship the same year in Rotterdam, Netherland. A few years down the road, Futsal began to emerge as a popular sport in Europe, with UEFA organising its first Futsal tournament in Córdoba, Spain, in 1996.
Today, Futsal’s appeal holds no boundaries, and it has evolved into a global sport embraced by a rapidly increasing number of federations, tournaments, and associations. Even the FIFA Futsal World Championship has expanded from its initial size of 16 nations to 24 nations and continues to promote the game worldwide.
How do I bet on Futsal?
Despite having gained massive prominence recently, Futsal remains a relatively obscure sport with fewer betting markets when compared to other sports. Most sports betting sites offer odds for all major leagues and tournaments, but it would be unrealistic to hope for as many betting options as you would have for mainstream sports such as football or basketball. But on the bright side, the variety of betting markets available for Futsal has experienced considerable growth recently.
At NetBet, our main priority is to provide our customers with odds and betting markets that will help them make the most of their experience and enjoy the sport to the fullest. The details regarding the betting types that you will find at our site are as follows:
Match Result FT
Match Winner, also referred to as moneyline, is the most popular and simplest type of betting where you wager on the team you think will win a match, tournament, or upcoming event. The odds indicated next to each team indicate how much you stand to win versus how much you are risking to lose. Since these are usually three-way bets, you can even choose to bet on the match ending up in a draw.
Spread FT
Spread or line is also a common market where you bet on the number of goals a team is going to win or lose by. This means that if the team you bet on has a -4 spread, then you can win the bet if your chosen team wins the game by 7 goals against the rival team.
Over/Under FT
This is a bet type that will allow you to wager on the total goals that will be scored throughout the match by both teams. You must predict whether the game will conclude with the teams scoring over (more) or under (less) a specified number of goals.
When you choose NetBet Sport, you can enjoy a whole range of top-quality sports betting markets. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority – check out our Responsible Gambling tips and tools page for more information.
