On August 29, the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF)held the opening ceremony of the first-ever Ukrainian Amputee Football Championship at the Viktor Bannikov Training Complex in Kyiv. This tournament is the largest official adaptive football competition ever organized in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Amputee Football Championship was launched by the Ukrainian Association of Football as part of the “League of the Mighty”, a social project dedicated to the development of amputee football (football played on crutches). The project is also the winner of the prestigious international UEFA FootbALL Awards 2025.
For the UAF, it is a great honor to open the first official Ukrainian Amputee Football Championship precisely on the Day of Remembrance of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine.
We honor the heroes and heroines thanks to whom our state exists, and thanks to whom we have the opportunity to develop amputee football and the sport of the future.
The development of social projects that create opportunities for the integration of veterans into civilian life is one of the key strategic priorities of the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF). “League of the Mighty” is one of such initiatives.
Today, there are more than 100,000 people with limb amputations in Ukraine, some of whom are servicemen and women who defended Ukraine on the battlefield and now have the opportunity to defend its honor on the football field.
The championship-winning team will represent Ukraine in the EAFF Champions League (European Amputee Football Federation) as early as 2026.
The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Ukrainian Association of Football, Andriy Shevchenko. In his address, he emphasized:
“Before us are the participants of the ‘League of the Mighty’ project, which the Ukrainian Association of Football launched a year ago. Most of the players are our defenders, and I want to thank each of you for defending Ukraine. We are here thanks to you.
I first saw an amputee football training session here on this field. You inspired us to ensure that this project develops across the whole of Ukraine. Today, the ‘League of the Mighty’ includes 20 teams and more than 500 participants, and it continues to grow.
It is not veterans who should adapt to civilian life - it is society that must adapt and do everything for the people who defended the country. And football is no exception.”
Today, Ukraine ranks second in Europe in terms of the number of amputee football teams competing in the national championship. Only Turkey has more teams (32). For comparison, Poland has 8 teams.
This demonstrates the unique strength and momentum of our country: even in times of war, we are able not only to fight, but also to build a new future for veterans
The “League of the Mighty” project has contributed to the creation of 20 teams in 18 cities across Ukraine, which are developing dynamically and promoting amputee football throughout the country.
In total, more than 500 players have joined the teams. They actively train, develop their skills, and take part in competitions.
The ceremony was hosted by Orest Drymalovskyi, a serviceman, journalist, and TV presenter. The National Anthem of Ukraine was performed by Fagot, the lead vocalist of the band TNMK.
The event was attended by representatives of government institutions and business partners who supported the launch of the championship:
Following the official ceremony, the opening match took place, in which Khrestonostsi (Lutsk) defeated Nezlamni (Kharkiv) 3–0.
Over two days, August 30–31, 10 teams from Kyiv, Kyiv region, Lviv, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Lutsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, and Zhytomyr will compete on the field:
The championship will run from August to December 2025. Matches will be held in Kyiv, Kyiv region, Lviv, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk.
The tournament is implemented with the support of the Ministry for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the Mass Sports Agency of Ukraine.
The official partners of the Ukrainian Amputee Football Championship are Mastercard and Oschadbank.
Project partners also include MEGOGO (official broadcaster), Ukrzaliznytsia, Lvivske, adidas, and the Canada–Ukraine Foundation.
