Argentina’s U-17 futsal team has entered the final phase of its preparation for the 2026 South American Championship. Santiago Basile’s side completed the second practice of its travel week on Tuesday and is refining its final mechanisms before heading to Paraguay as the defending champion.
The session began with physical and recreational work before moving into a sequence of rehearsed plays. The squad first practised passing and finishing circuits, then tested attacking alternatives during build-up and closed with futsal at match intensity, an exercise designed to transfer its concepts to the tournament’s actual pace.
Set plays had been the focus when the training cycle opened on Monday. That block was combined with physical preparation and full-game situations, so the first two sessions brought together tactical precision, attacking solutions and competitive load without neglecting the details that can decide tight matches.
Argentina will enter the competition as the seeded team in Group B alongside Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. Its campaign begins against Ecuador at 14:00 on Saturday 8 August, followed by Peru on Sunday 9, Bolivia on Wednesday 12 and Brazil in the group-stage finale on Thursday 13, with every match kicking off at 14:00.
The South American Championship will take place from 8 to 16 August at the SUMA Complex in Luque. The top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals on Saturday 15, while the final and third-place match are scheduled for Sunday 16. The format demands consistency across four group fixtures before the decisive stage.
The U-17 team will hold its last session in Argentina on Wednesday. The delegation is due to travel to Asunción around midday on Thursday, complete its adaptation and turn the work performed in Ezeiza into competitive responses. The title defence begins with only a short transition between preparation and the opening match.
