The 2026 Ukraine Cup Amputee Football Tournament has concluded — the first such tournament in history, which opened a new competitive season. At the award ceremony, teams were supported by officials, partners, and guests who contribute to the development of this sport in Ukraine.

Natalia Kalmykova (Minister for Veterans' Affairs of Ukraine):

"I wish that this year will be even more productive, and the number of players in your teams increases. You are promoting amputee football — thank you for this. I am confident that now you have even more motivation to achieve a higher level. Thank you for the opportunity to feel this energy, this drive, and this movement."

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

Olena Balbek (Director of Strategic Development and Stability at the Ukrainian Amputee Football Association, CEO of the UAF Foundation):

«Congratulations to us on the start of a new competitive season in amputee football. The first tournament of the year already shows how confidently the 'Liga Dugikh' social project is developing.

We see this both in numbers and in the level of play: if last year's championship had 12 teams participating, then the Ukraine Cup already united 16, and this number will grow.

On our part, the association continues to work on developing this direction, expanding formats, and creating new opportunities for supporting veterans and veteranesses through sports.

Thank you to the teams for your play and the level you show on the field, as well as everyone who contributes to the development of this sport».

Ihor Burii (Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Center 'Invasport'):

"I am glad that with joint efforts, we managed to hold a tournament that opens up opportunities for forming the national team of Ukraine in amputee football. In the future, she will be able to represent our country at European and world levels. Thank you all for the high level of play and emotions».

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

Also present at the ceremony were:

• Charlotte Suren — Deputy of the British Ambassador to Ukraine;
• Julie Devès — US Ambassador to Ukraine;
• Lubos Vesely — Czech Ambassador to Ukraine;
• Ruslan Pryhodko — Deputy Minister for Veterans' Affairs of Ukraine;
• Andriy Mikhalyuk — Head of the Department of Youth and Sports at Kyiv Regional Administration;
• Oleksiy Kudryk — Head of Borshchivskyi District Council;
• Olena Kosmachyvska — Director of Sofiyivskyi Sports Complex.

The 2026 Ukraine Cup Amputee Football tournament became the second largest national cup competition in terms of scale after Turkey. The next step is the start of the Ukrainian amputee football championship in April.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

*Amputee football — is a sport for people with amputations or congenital limb deficiencies. The game follows these basic rules. On the field, there are seven players (six outfielders and a goalkeeper). Outfield players must have an amputation or a lower limb deficiency, while the goalkeeper has an upper limb deficiency. Outfield players move on crutches without prosthetics, while goalkeepers play without crutches. The game consists of two halves of 25 minutes each with a 10-minute break. The field is smaller than a standard football pitch (60x40 m). Amputee football uses adapted football rules with an emphasis on player safety. There are women's, men's, and mixed teams. It is a dynamic and spectacular sport that promotes inclusion and inspires by its spirit of struggle and team play.

In Ukraine, there are over 100,000 people with amputated limbs. For many of them, amputee football opens the way to physical and psychological recovery, returning to an active life, and joining a community of like-minded individuals.

*«Liga Dugikh» — is the social project of the Ukrainian Football Association that helps people with amputations or a deficiency in one limb to return to an active life, find inspiration through sport. The project covers a wide range of tasks: recruiting new players, creating teams in cities, organizing training sessions, preparing specialists (coaches and managers), as well as providing teams with full-fledged sports equipment. The Ukrainian Football Association also develops the competitive component: conducting cups and championships. The official partners of «Liga Dugikh» are Mastercard and Oщадбанк.

In a year, centers for amputee football were established in 18 cities across the country: Boryspil, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Lutsk, Lviv, Odessa, Rivne, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Hmelnytskyi, Chernkas, Chernivtsi, and Chernigov. The project encouraged the creation of 20 teams that are dynamically developing, contributing to the popularization of amputee football throughout Ukraine. In total, over 500 players joined the teams, actively training, developing their skills, and participating in competitions.

In January 2025, the first tournament took place — the Winter Cup «Liga Dugikh», with five teams participating. In March, the «Liga Dugikh» national team played a historic match against the Red Flamingos team in Belgium and won 1:0. In May, the second tournament took place — the Spring Cup «Liga Dugikh», with eight teams participating. And already in November, the Fall Cup «Liga Dugikh» was held with four teams.

Less than a year after its establishment, «Liga Dugikh» became a laureate of the prestigious UEFA FootbALL Awards 2025 in the category of «National Association».

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