The East Asian region's qualifiers for the 2020 AFC Futsal Championship -- organized by the Asian Football Confederation -- kicked off at the Ordos Sports Center in Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Oct 22, according to the organizers.

Enthusiasts say that futsal, also known as fútsal or footsal, is a variant of association football played on a hard court, smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors.

They say that at present futsal is in a period of rapid development and that compared with conventional football, futsal is more intense and exciting in its transitions and rhythm of confrontation.

According to local media reports, seven teams participating in the qualifiers for the right to move forward in the competition.

Local officials said that in recent years, Ordos has become a place with the sporting infrastructure enabling it to host all levels competitions.

They said the guaranteed ability of Ordos to provide services has constantly improved; meanwhile, the experiences of teams and audiences arriving in the city have continuously improved.