The Salesian club from Lviv “Pokrova AMP” has become the first Ukrainian representative in the EAFF Amputee Football Champions League and, based on the results of the tournament, has broken into the top five strongest teams in Europe. The EAFF Champions League 2026 took place from 23 to 25 October in the Italian city of Fano.
“Pokrova AMP” is a team made up primarily of veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war who have undergone amputation or have impaired function of one of their limbs. In their debut European club season, the Lviv side finished in fifth place overall.
WAFF and EAFF President Mateusz Widłak noted that the Ukrainian club’s debut in the Champions League was an important step for European amputee football as a whole, as the team demonstrated a high level of organisation, strong character and a will to win, despite having no previous experience of competing in such tournaments.
In the group stage, the players from Lviv region lost to the current runners-up — Polish side Wisła — 0-6, and drew 2-2 with Spain’s Real Betis. In the match for fifth place, “Pokrova AMP” confidently defeated seven-time champions of Georgia AFC Tbilisi 4-0.
Throughout all the matches, the team enjoyed vocal support from around fifty fans from the Ukrainian community in Fano, who created a home-like atmosphere in the stands for the Lviv side.
Club player and Russian-Ukrainian war veteran Yaroslav Kachmar admitted that the result left him with mixed emotions, as the team had hoped to do even better, but that taking part in the tournament had been a very valuable experience for the side. He added that, as champions of Ukraine this year, the amputee footballers plan to return to the Champions League next season with a better understanding of their opponents.
Head coach of “Pokrova AMP” Nazarii Rusetskyi stressed that, for a first appearance, the result is encouraging: the team recorded one win, one draw and one defeat, while the players gained important international experience and a clear understanding of what they need to work on next.
According to the Director of the Department of Sport, Youth and Tourism of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Roman Khimyak, players from “Pokrova AMP” form the backbone of Ukraine’s national amputee football team: the national side includes nine first-team players and one reserve from this club, and the head coach of the national team is the Lviv club’s manager, Nazarii Rusetskyi.
Soon, most of the “Pokrova AMP” players, as part of the Ukrainian national team, will take part in another major international event — the Amputee Football World Cup, which will be held in Mexico from 13 to 22 November.