Madrid 2018: 5 things to know about Great Britain

Great Britain, competing as England, lost to Argentina only on penalties in the final of the 2018 International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Grand Prix, on 25 March.

With less than two months to go until the first whistle blows at the World Championships in Madrid, Spain, on 7 June, here are some facts about the currently No. 12 ranked team in the world.

1. The team was founded by Tony Larkin at the Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) in Hereford, Great Britain.

2. They entered their first World Championships at Campinhas, Brazil, in 1998 and finished fifth. They stepped up their game in 2010, when they host the international competition and ended fourth and therefore qualifying for London 2012.

3. Competing as England, the team achieved qualification for Madrid 2018 after sealing bronze at the Berlin 2017 Europeans. They lost to Spain 2-1 on penalties in the semi-finals but then defeated France 2-0 in the bronze medal match.

4. Daniel English will be one of Great Britain’s key players in Madrid. His physical presence makes him an asset both in defence and attack, which he displayed at Berlin 2017 with five spectacular goals.

The 2018 IBSA Blind Football World Championships will be held in Madrid, Spain, from 7-17 June, and will feature 16 of the world’s best teams. As well as the title on offer, the competition is also an important step on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.