Dates for Football 5 Worlds change

The 2018 World Championships will take place in Madrid, Spain, from 5-18 June following a request from the Spanish Blind Sports Federation. 28 Apr 2017

Brazil and Argentina fought out a tough 0-0 draw in five-a-side football at the 1-year-to-go event to the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

ⒸRio 2016/Alex Ferro

By IBSA

The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) has agreed to a change of the dates for the 2018 IBSA Blind Football World Championships, set to take place in Madrid, Spain, following a request from the Spanish Blind Sports Federation.

Football 5’s main competition outside the Paralympic Games will no longer be held from 17-25 June but between 5-18 June.

It will be the first World Championships to feature 16 teams, four more than at the 2014 Worlds in Tokyo, Japan. The initial format will include a first stage featuring four groups of four teams, with the top two teams in each group qualifying for the quarter-finals.

This will be the seventh edition of the World Championships, with Spain staging the event for the first time since 2000.

Reigning Paralympic champions Brazil will be the strong favourites to extend their winning run in Madrid and top the podium again at a World Championships as they did in 1998, 2000, 2010 and 2014. But two-time world champions Argentina will be ready to cause an upset.

More information is available on IBSA’s website.