Nazaretyan sums up Euro 2026 and announces construction of a futsal school in Davtashen

Head coach of the Armenia national futsal team Ruben Nazaretyan has summed up the team’s performance at the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 and outlined key priorities for the development of the sport in the country. According to the press service of the Football Federation of Armenia, the coach emphasized that the main achievement was not the quarter-final appearance itself, but the launch of a major infrastructure project — the construction of a futsal school in the Davtashen district of Yerevan.

Nazaretyan noted that the presence of specialized futsal schools will form the foundation for the national team’s long-term success. A modern futsal complex is planned to be built in Davtashen, which will serve as the national team’s training base and include an arena with a capacity of 2,500–2,700 spectators. The project will be financed by the Government of the Republic of Armenia. As the coach revealed, this commitment was personally made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a phone call with the team at the European Championship. Construction is expected to be completed within a year.

Speaking about the sporting results, Nazaretyan admitted that Armenia was close to reaching the semifinals. In the quarter-final match against Croatia, the team lacked an opening goal and a more confident performance from the goalkeeper. At the same time, the coach refused to place blame on the goalkeeper, stressing that he competed at the European Championship without sufficient international experience.

“In futsal, there is such a thing as the ‘goalkeeper’s game’ — and it often gives the whole team confidence,” Nazaretyan said.

The head coach also addressed squad development, stating that the generational transition will be smooth. According to him, Armenia has talented young futsal players who could already join the national team this year. In addition, two more candidates playing in Russia are being monitored by the coaching staff. Nazaretyan highlighted the players’ motivation, revealing that some even gave up their January club salaries in order to join the national team.

“The ideology of playing for the national team is very strong — the players literally fight for the right to be part of the squad,” he emphasized.

The next major objective for the team is qualification for the FIFA Futsal World Cup. Armenia will compete in the elite round of World Cup qualification for the first time, with the draw scheduled to take place in May.

“We will always set the minimum goal of advancing from the group stage. The most important thing is that this success does not turn out to be a one-off,” Nazaretyan noted.

The coach also said that discussions are underway not only regarding the Davtashen base, but also the opening of futsal schools in other regions of Armenia and the creation of an under-18 national team. In the near future, Armenia will also host a Prime Minister’s Cup futsal tournament for under-15 players.

At the same time, Nazaretyan admitted that the team was left dissatisfied with its experience at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex, which reportedly requested around 10 million drams for a single day of training sessions and matches. Nevertheless, the coach did not rule out holding games there in the future, provided the financial terms are revised.

Finally, Nazaretyan pointed out that futsal has good chances of being included in the expanded program of future Summer Olympic Games, which he believes could give an additional boost to the sport’s development in Armenia.