Groups drawn for football 7-a-side’s European Championships
03.04.2014Eleven teams will participate in the sport’s premiere event of the year in July in Portugal.
Russia's Eduard Ramonov celebrates on the football 7-a-side pitch after winning gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
© • Getty Images
There will be four days of group play at the Championships prior to the playoffs, which will culminate with the gold-medal match on 2 August.
The groups have been drawn and the schedule has been revealed for the 2014 CPISRA Football 7-a-Side European Championships, which will take place from 23 July – 2 August in Maia, Portugal.
They will be the biggest regional championships ever in the sport, with 11 teams competing in the event that will serve as an important qualifier for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Playing in Group A will be the Netherlands, Ireland, Finland and Denmark. The Dutch and Irish teams are the most established in the group, with Ireland having won bronze at the 2010 European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
Group B will consist of Russia, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Germany. The Russians are the reigning Paralympic champions and Scotland are No. 8 in the world rankings.
Ukraine, England and Portugal will be in Group C, with the Ukrainians entering the event as the defending European champions as well as the Paralympic silver medallists from London 2012.
There will be four days of group play at the Championships prior to the playoffs, which will culminate with the gold-medal match on 2 August.
