2004 FIFA FUTSAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

CUBA & USA HAVE TOUGH GROUPS FOR FIFA FUTSAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Cuba and USA are in tough groups for the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship that will be held in Chinese Taipei from 20 November - 5 December 2004.

USA is in Group C, along with Italy, Japan and Paraguay, while Cuba is in Group D joining Argentina, Iran and Portugal.

The USA's best performances at the FIFA Futsal World Championships were third place at the inaugural tournament in the Netherlands 1989 and then runners-up at the 1992 event in Hong Kong.

In their fourth appearance, the stars & stripes find themselves in Group C at the 2004 FIFA World Championships with Italy, who capturedthe 2003 UEFA Futsal Title, the 2004 AFC Runners-up Japan and third-place finishers in South America's 2003 tournament, Paraguay.

Cuba, making its third consecutive appearance at the FIFA tournament, will be looking for its first ever victory at the 2004 event in Chinese Taipei. The cubanos will compete in Group D along-side South America's 2003 Tournament (and KL World Fives) Champion Argentina, five-time AFC Winners Iran and Portugal, who finished third at the 2000 FIFA World Championships.