The third round of the Ukrainian amputee football championship, initiated by the Ukrainian Football Association as part of the social project "League of Strengths," is taking place at the MCK Dnipro stadium in Cherkasy. This is the first tournament of this scale in Ukraine.

The tournament, which started in August and will run until the end of the year, involves 10 teams from various regions of Ukraine with a total number of participants exceeding 250 people. Most of the players are war veterans who have returned to sports after rehabilitation.

Participants:

— «MCK Dnipro» (Cherkasy);

— «Pokrova AMP» (Lviv);

— «Shakhtar Stalevi» (Donetsk);

— «Burievoy» (Kyiv region);

— «Crusaders» (Lutsk);

— «Vinnytsia AMP» (Vinnytsia);

— «Metalist 1925 Unbreakable» (Kharkiv);

— «Titans» (Zhytomyr);

— FC «Bartka» (Ivano-Frankivsk);

— «Vikings» (Ternopil).

It should be noted that two amputee football teams in the championship, «Shakhtar Stalevi» and «Metalist 1925 Unbreakable,» are supported by Ukrainian Premier League football clubs — «Shakhtar» (Donetsk) and «Metalist 1925» (Kharkiv), respectively.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

In the first two rounds, 30 matches were played, with broadcasts attracting tens of thousands of views on MEGOGO media service and the UAF YouTube channel, as well as millions of impressions on social networks. During the second round in Lviv, we witnessed the first hat-trick in the tournament's history and the birth of a new family: player FC «Pokrova AMP» Mykola Hatala proposed to Dzvynka.

At the official opening ceremony for the third round of the championship, which took place on November 1st, participants were greeted by honored guests.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

“In the year of existence of the UAF project «League of Strengths,» amputee football in Ukraine has made great strides: instead of three teams, there are now 20, and the total number of amputee football players has grown from 30 to over 500. The project received a prestigious UEFA award, and cups for «League of Strengths» were launched — as well as for the first time in Ukraine's history — a full-fledged amputee football championship.

We are inspired by each of you — your discipline, dedication, and love for football. As long as you play, we will cheer for you. We are proud to be part of the same team as you. Thank you on behalf of UAF for this opportunity”, — noted Elena Balbek, CEO of the UAF Foundation, Director of Strategic Development and Sustainability at the Ukrainian Football Association.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

“It is a great honor for me to be here with you today. When we started this project at the beginning of this year, our dream was exactly this kind of development of amputee football in Ukraine. Today, we dream that this project will continue to grow and develop as rapidly as it has this year”, — noted Talia Zarova, representative of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, Head of the Department of Veteran Sports.

“The teams, what you do on the field, amazes and inspires. You demonstrate resilience, strength of spirit, and a desire to live on. This is truly the embodiment of our nation's spirit — unbreakable, strong, destined to win”, — emphasized Oleksandr Bozhyk, Deputy Director of the Agency for Mass Sports of Ukraine.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

“It is a great honor for us to host such a powerful, united community. When boys and girls can demonstrate their skills not just as a hobby but at a professional level — this is truly a victory”, — noted Ihor Taburets, Head of the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration.

“It is incredibly valuable and exciting for our city to be chosen as the venue for such serious competitions. We are happy to see each one of you. We wish victory to the strongest team, but believe me, we support everyone today”, — noted Anastasia Chubina, Deputy Mayor of Cherkasy.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

“These competitions are not just about victories on the scoreboard. Because every person who steps onto a football field is already a winner. It's a victory of mental strength, faith in oneself and love for life. But sports is still sports — there's always room for both wins and losses. So I wish that the strongest team wins, but most importantly, may everyone leave the field without injuries and with good emotions”, — emphasized Yuriy Honcharov, Director of Municipal Sports Club "Dnipro".

Further course of the championship:

The tournament that began in August will run until December and will take place in Kyiv, Kyiv region, Lviv, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk. The champion of the championship will represent Ukraine at the European Association Football Federation (EAFF) League of Champions 2026.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

Next rounds:

— 4th round — Ivano-Frankivsk, November 22-23;

— 5th round (final) — Kyiv, December 13-14.

Along with the third round of the championship on November 2nd, the Autumn Cup "League of Strengths" will take place, where four teams that have not previously participated in professional amputee football competitions will meet:

— «Sich» (Zaporizhzhia);

— «Dnipro Honor» (Dnipro);

— «Veres Dream» (Rivne);

— «Kryvyi Rih AMP» (Kryvyi Rih).

The two teams that reach the final will join the first league of the championship at the fourth and fifth stages.

The Ukrainian Amputee Football Championship was founded by UAF, with its implementation supported by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the Agency for Mass Sports of Ukraine.

Official partners of the Ukrainian Amputee Football Championship are Mastercard and Oschadbank. Project partners also include match broadcaster MEGOGO, Ukrzaliznytsia, "Lvivske," adidas, and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

Live broadcasts of matches are available on the MEGOGO media service and UAF YouTube channel.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

*Amputee football — is a sport for people with amputations or congenital limb defects. The game follows these main rules. Seven players are on the field (six outfield and one goalkeeper). Outfield players must have an amputation or lower limb defect, while the goalkeeper must have an upper limb defect. Outfield players move around without prosthetics, while goalkeepers play without crutches. A match consists of two halves of 25 minutes each with a 10-minute break in between. The pitch is smaller than a standard football field (60x40 m). Adapted football rules are used with an emphasis on player safety. There are women's, men's, and mixed teams. This dynamic and exciting sport promotes inclusion and inspires through its spirit of struggle and teamwork.

Over 100,000 people in Ukraine live with amputated limbs. For many of them, amputee football opens the path to physical and psychological recovery, returning to an active life, and joining a community of like-minded individuals.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

*«League of Strengths» — is a social project of the Ukrainian Football Association that helps people with amputations or limb defects return to an active life, find inspiration through sports. The project covers a wide range of tasks: attracting new players, creating teams in cities, organizing training sessions, preparing professionals (coaches and managers), as well as equipping teams with full-fledged sports equipment. UAF also develops the competitive component: it holds cups and initiates championships. Official partners of «League of Strengths» are Mastercard and Oschadbank.

In a year, centers for amputee football were established in 18 cities across Ukraine: Boryspil, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Lutsk, Lviv, Odesa, Rivne, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, and Chernihiv. The project has spurred the creation of 20 teams that are dynamically developing, promoting amputee football across Ukraine. In total, over 500 players have been involved in the teams, actively training, improving their skills, and participating in competitions.

In January 2025, the first tournament, Winter Cup «League of Strengths,» took place with five team participation. In March, the «League of Strengths» team played an historic match against Red Flamingos in Belgium and won 1-0. And already in April, the second tournament — Spring Cup «League of Strengths,» took place with eight teams participating.

Less than a year after its inception, "League of Strengths" became a laureate of the prestigious UEFA Football Awards 2025 in the category of "National Association."

*UAF Foundation — is a charitable foundation established by the Ukrainian Football Association, which implements social projects and fundraising aimed at developing football in Ukraine. The main areas of activity of the foundation include adaptive football, mass children's football, women's football, social support, and restoring sports infrastructure. The foundation also initiates projects related to overcoming war consequences, using the unifying power of football for positive changes in society.