Women amputees in South America train to be World Cup soccer contenders

SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia (AP) — From a distance, the women running sprints, taking corner kicks and dribbling past defenders on a soccer field in eastern Bolivia on Friday could easily be mistaken for players preparing for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. But the goalies are making saves with a single arm while other players are using crutches to propel themselves down the pitch.

This is the first soccer training camp in South America for female amputees seeking to represent their countries in the 2027 Women’s Amputee Football World Cup. Nearly three dozen women from 10 countries — including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia — converged on the field in Bolivia’s lowland city of Santa Cruz for five days of training that concluded Friday with friendly matches. Most of the participants have lost limbs to infections or traumatic injuries.

Under the rules of the amputee cup, a seven-a-side soccer tournament, all prosthetic limbs must be removed before the game kicks off. Players rely on crutches to run but cannot use them to touch the ball. Elite athletes from around the world, including from the U.S. Women’s National Amputee Soccer Team, helped coach the camp, which was organized by the World Amputee Football Federation, the body that governs the global tournaments, along with local authorities and nonprofits.

“The life of amputees can sometimes be hard, but we adapt really fast,” said Amie Donathan, 21, from the U.S. team, who was born with one leg. “The way I feel about this camp, honestly, can’t be described.”

The training in Bolivia, unfolding while the world remains captivated by the final week of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, covered everything from balance, coordination and movement on crutches to ball control, tactics and the rules of amputee soccer.

Men have played international amputee soccer since the 1980s and now compete in a World Cup every four years. The sport has grown steadily in recent decades, particularly in places scarred by war like Gaza and Rwanda.

But the women’s game only held its first World Cup in 2024. The host, Colombia, clinched the inaugural title. The next Amputee Women’s World Cup will take place in Poland in 2027, with the specific date and city yet to be announced, the camp organizers told The Associated Press.

“It’s so that women with amputations can realize their dream through sports, through soccer,” said Lidia Mayser, president of the sports council for the Santa Cruz region, which is working to create a national federation and assemble a team to represent Bolivia at next year’s tournament.

For Filomena Luna, the training has helped her find community and embrace a sport she never imagined she could play. The mother of six lost a leg at age 11 after an infection worsened when her parents initially sought treatment from a traditional healer instead of a doctor. Now 50, she hopes to one day represent Bolivia on the world stage.

“This practicing and training has helped me improve tremendously,” she said. “Soccer is an escape for me.”