Jorge Braz on the Portuguese futsal ecosystem

The FIFA Training Centre recently caught up with Jorge Braz, the head coach of the Portugal national futsal team. In an in-depth interview that covered a wide range of topics, Braz spoke about his role at the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the development of futsal in the European country in recent years and his vision for the future of the form of the game and its continued growth.

Braz guided Portugal to their first-ever world crown at the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021™, a triumph that cemented the country’s status as one of the leading futsal nations on the planet.

Part 1: Portugal’s pathway to success

Part 2: Key development factors

Part 3: Future youth World Cup tournaments

Read interview summary

Part 1: Portugal’s pathway to success
In the opening section of the interview, Braz discusses the significant progress witnessed in the Portuguese futsal ecosystem in recent years, highlighting the growth in the number of national teams and domestic competitions that has resulted in a more robust structure. He also explains how the implementation of the FPF’s strategic futsal development plan has played a pivotal role in achieving specific benchmarks and objectives, with the overriding aim being to make futsal the nation’s leading indoor sport while also enhancing its social relevance.

Part 2: Key development factors
In this part of the interview, Braz provides an insight into the main factors behind Portugal’s recent success. He emphasises the importance of creating more opportunities for children to play the game, increasing the number of competitions and providing clubs with greater support. Braz comments that a focal point of Portugal’s development process was to ensure the quality of the coach education provision.

When quizzed about what advice he would give a smaller association looking to replicate Portugal’s success, Braz stresses that while any association should look towards the game’s leading nations to identify best practice, it is vital that it carry out an internal assessment to analyse the state of play within the national futsal landscape. The Portugal coach also notes that an association’s development plan should remain faithful to its culture and identity, while he underscores the importance of building solid foundations at grassroots level.

Part 3: Future youth World Cup tournaments
In the final segment of the interview, Braz shares his views on the potential implications of FIFA organising youth World Cup tournaments in this form of the game in the future. He believes that this would represent a significant milestone for futsal, as it would considerably enhance its visibility on the global stage. He suggests that the prospect of participating in one of FIFA’s flagship tournaments is a dream that could serve to inspire children to either embark on or continue their futsal journey.