The Women’s World Cup in France is gripping the footballing universe right now and tournament fever will soon cross over to Spain as Australia’s Pararoos prepare for their IFCPF World Cup campaign.
The Pararoos – Australia’s national football team for athletes with cerebral palsy or acquired brain injury – fly off to Europe on Saturday to compete in the 2019 edition.
Australia, who are coached by Kai Lammert, have been steady improvers on the international scene in recent years, having finished 13th in the world in 2013, 12th in 2015, and 10th in 2017.
SQUAD REVEALED: Pararoos Squad for IFCPF World Cup
The Pararoos have been handed a tough Group C containing 2017 winners Ukraine, world No. 6 Argentina, and hosts Spain but Lammert has high hopes for Australia to shine.
“We always believe we can win every game and we want to go there and win every game,” Lammert told ABC. "It’s a tough group but really, we always want to win.
“I like playing against these teams because at the end you can only learn. And what better way to learn then by playing against the best players in the world?
“We’ve got nothing to lose against these teams.”
The 2019 IFCPF World Cup will be held between 4-20 July 2019, with the Pararoos set to play their opening match against Ukraine on Sunday, 7 July.
The Pararoos will play two friendlies against Germany on Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 July, before venturing to Spain for the tournament.
Pararoos Squad | 4-20 July 2019 | 2019 IFCPF World Cup | Seville, Spain
|
Name (City, State) |
International Caps (Goals) |
|
Ben ATKINS (Sydney, NSW) |
62 (4) |
|
David BARBER (Rockhampton, QLD) |
89 (69) |
|
Connor BUNCE (Torbay, WA) |
0 (0) |
|
Daniel CAMPBELL (Coffs Harbour, NSW) |
6 (2) |
|
Cosimo CIRILLO (Mildura, VIC) |
4 (1) |
|
Matthew HEARNE (Melbourne, VIC) |
14 (0) |
|
Alessandro LA VERGHETTA (Perth, WA) |
5 (1) |
|
Taj LYNCH (Sydney, NSW) |
6 (1) |
|
Angus MACGREGOR (Melbourne, VIC) |
6 (1) |
|
Augustine MURPHY (Sydney, NSW) |
5 (0) |
|
Christopher PYNE (Springwood, NSW) |
95 (20) |
|
Benjamin ROCHE (Lennox Head, NSW) |
44 (24) |
|
Bradley SCOTT (Bunbury, WA) |
3 (1) |
|
Benjamin SUTTON (Sydney, NSW) |
4 (0) |
Upcoming Matches
Germany v Australia – International Friendly
Date: Monday, 1 July 2019
Location: Munich, Germany
Kick-off: 7.00pm (local); 3.00am – Tuesday, 2 July 2019 (AEST)
Germany v Australia – International Friendly
Date: Tuesday, 2 July 2019
Location: Munich, Germany
Kick-off: 7.00pm (local); 3.00am – Wednesday, 3 July 2019 (AEST)
Ukraine v Australia – 2019 IFCPF World Cup
Date: Sunday, 7 July 2019
Location: Seville, Spain
Kick-off: 9.00am (local); 5.00pm (AEST)
Australia v Argentina – 2019 IFCPF World Cup
Date: Tuesday, 9 July 2019
Location: Seville, Spain
Kick-off: 9.00pm (local); 5.00am – Wednesday, 10 July 2019 (AEST)
Australia v Spain – 2019 IFCPF World Cup
Date: Thursday, 11 July 2019
Location: Seville, Spain
Kick-off: 11.00am (local); 7.00pm (AEST)