The European Amputee Football Federation (EAFF) launches the EAFF Amputee Football Development Cup, a new international competition for national amputee football teams in Europe.
Bringing together eight national teams from across Europe, the three-day tournament will provide an important international platform for nations continuing to develop their amputee football programmes. The competition will offer players the opportunity to gain valuable experience, test themselves against new opponents and strengthen connections within the
European amputee football community.
The participating nations are Belgium, the Netherlands, Albania, Ireland, Romania, Georgia, France and Scotland.
The eight teams will be divided into two groups of four, with matches taking place over three days, from 4 to 6 December. The draw will take place on 3rd November at 13:00 CET.
A competition built around development and opportunity
The EAFF Development Cup is designed to create additional competitive opportunities for national teams, particularly those that are not participating in the major international tournaments in 2026. Beyond the sporting challenge, the event aims to encourage the exchange of experience, support the growth of national programmes and help raise the overall
standard of amputee football across Europe.
For Belgium, hosting the inaugural edition is a special occasion. Belgian captain Michel Welvaert highlighted the importance of providing opportunities for smaller footballing nations:
“As Belgians, we’re delighted that this tournament is being hosted in our country. It’s wonderful to see that the smaller nations haven’t been forgotten and also have the opportunity to compete against one another. Together, we’ll make this first edition a great success. At the same time, we’re aiming for a top-four finish and will give everything we’ve got to achieve that goal. And together, we’ll learn from each other, grow, and become even better.”
New challenges and valuable international experience
For France, the tournament represents an opportunity to face unfamiliar opponents and continue developing the national team. Captain Jérôme Raffetto welcomed the initiative:
“This competition, the Development Cup, is an excellent initiative of WAFF and EAFF. It allows nations not selected for the World Cup to participate in an event that is strong from both a sporting and human point of view. It will be an opportunity to meet nations against which we are not used to playing. A real challenge! The nations selected for the Development Cup all have a good level of football. These are interesting teams, but we think that the French team has the possibility to go far in the competition. This is an event that we will prepare seriously, and it will be a great opportunity to progress.”
Looking forward to the inaugural edition
The excitement is shared by the teams preparing to take part in the competition. Harris Tinney expressed confidence in his team’s preparations, while Iain Matthew highlighted the importance of competing in a club-independent national team environment and facing strong opposition.
Both underlined their enthusiasm for the challenge ahead and their expectations of a competitive and memorable tournament.
With eight nations, three days of football and a shared ambition to grow the game, the inaugural EAFF Development Cup promises to be an important addition to the European amputee football calendar.