Lions Invited by Germany to Play Special ‘10-Year Anniversary’ Game in Stuttgart

The international friendly fixture marks a decade since the launch of the German national futsal programme and their first ever international fixture, against England in Hamburg.

England senior men’s side will face Germany in an anniversary friendly match, played at the magnificent 5,000 seater Porsche Arena in Stuttgart on Friday 6th February.

England Futsal’s National Team Performance Manager, Ben Tadmor, said:

"We are honoured to accept the invitation from the DFB to mark the 10-year anniversary of Germany’s international futsal programme. An occasion like this gives us the opportunity to not only celebrate history, but also to reflect on the progress, collaboration and shared ambition that continues to drive futsal forward in both countries. The previous results between our national teams have all been very close and we look forward to what will no doubt be another close and exciting encounter in Stuttgart."

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

Germany’s first-ever international futsal fixture took place on 30 October 2016, against the Lions in Hamburg.

Played in front of 2,500 fans and shown live on German TV, the hosts emerged 5-3 winners on the day with goals from England’s Doug Reed (2) and James Webb making it a tightly fought contest.

The game also marked an England Futsal debut for Max Kilman, who has since gone on to make 184 Premier League appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers and his current side, West Ham United.

Re-live the action from Hamburg

The sides met again two days later, drawing 3-3 this time, with England’s goals coming from Robbie Betson, Richard Ward and Kilman, who equalised with 16 seconds to go.

England’s most recent meeting with Germany was in September 2019, a pair of friendlies played at St George’s Park, both ending in 2-2 draws. Goals from Raoni Medina and Russell Goldstein in the Friday game, and a brace from Liam Palfreeman on the Saturday made for an enthralling weekend of action.

Read the report from St George’s Park 

A decade on from Hamburg, February’s clash in Stuttgart will be Germany’s 82nd international fixture and a chance to celebrate a programme that has seen the nation develop impressively within the international futsal landscape, entering multiple UEFA Futsal Euro and FIFA Futsal World Cup qualification rounds. They made history in the last FIFA Futsal World Cup qualification campaign, reaching the elite round for the first time, beating Sweden 8-4 over two play-off legs in April 2023.

KEY INFORMATION

The anniversary game will be broadcast live on the Bundesliga FAST Channel. Fans in the UK and Ireland can access this channel on Samsung TV Plus, which is available subscription-free on Samsung TVs, Galaxy and Samsung Smart Monitor devices.

And for those in and around Stuttgart or wishing to travel, tickets to the fixture can be purchased via this link. 

Be sure to keep an eye on the website and also on England Futsal socials for further stories, build up and content around this exciting anniversary celebration.

And if that isn’t enough to get you excited…

WATCH THE LIONS AT HOME THIS APRIL…

The fixture in Stuttgart comes two months before we host Group B of the Men’s FIFA Futsal World Cup Preliminary Round qualifiers at Loughborough University, 6th - 10th April.

In early February, we will be opening an Exclusive Members Presale which will give first opportunity to all registered England Futsal members to buy tickets for all three of our Group B fixtures:

MD1 - England vs Switzerland - Tuesday 7th April, 19:30.

MD2 - England vs Northern Ireland - Wednesday 8th April, 19:30.

MD3 - England vs Sweden - Friday 10th April, 19:30.

NOTE: England match tickets also grant access to the other fixture played earlier on that day at 15:00.

We are anticipating high demand for these tickets, so in order to guarantee your spot to watch the Lions in action this April, and at the best price, become an England Futsal member for FREE today:

BECOME AN ENGLAND FUTSAL MEMBER

Members also receive access to our exclusive rewards platform - where they can benefit from discounts and offers on huge sports and lifestyle brands such as Nike, New Balance, Adidas and Gymshark.