Ireland's Cerebral Palsy Football Team Heads to 2023 IFCPF European Championships

The Ireland Cerebral Palsy football team is preparing to compete in the 2023 IFCPF European Championships, which is scheduled to kick off on Friday, 2nd June in Italy.

Currently occupying the 8th position in global rankings, the Irish team braces for a tough tournament as they have been placed in Group B, pitted against the squads of Ukraine, Scotland, and Germany.

Group A comprises Spain, the Netherlands, host nation Italy, and England, shaping an equally competitive field in the other half of the tournament.

Ireland will open their 2023 tournament against Scotland on 2nd June at 3.30 pm, at the CFF Tino Carta Stadium.

Following this, they will confront Germany at midday just two days later, on the 4th June. The team will round off the group stages against Ukraine on 6th June, with the match starting at 6 pm.

This will not be Ireland's first venture onto the competitive stage of the IFCPF European Championships. In the 2018 iteration of the competition, Ireland delivered a string of impressive victories.

They dominated Denmark with an 8-0 victory, overcame Germany with a 5-1 scoreline, shutout Northern Ireland with a 4-0 result, and eked out a narrow 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the group stages.

The Irish side ultimately clinched the 3rd place, thanks to a triumphant 2-1 rematch against the Netherlands.

More recently, however, the Irish side had a more challenging run in the IFCPF World Cup, where they secured the 7th place.

As the team prepares for the upcoming European Championships, fans and competitors alike will be watching closely to see if they can channel their 2018 success in this new challenge.