Last Saturday, October 21, matches of the national final of the Premier Nation's Cup were held on the football fields of NTK named after V. Bannikov, organized with the support of the Ukrainian Football Association, the All-Ukrainian Center for Physical Health of the Population "Sport for All," and the Zaporizhzhia City Association of Mass Futsal.

The mission of these competitions is to help those affected by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, supporting Ukrainian defenders. In partnership with the charitable fund "Only The Strong" (TILKI SIL'NY), the organizers collect funds for the rehabilitation of injured servicemen. Financial aid aims at endoprosthetics and rehabilitation for soldiers who have lost their limbs.

Photo by the press service of UAF

From September 23 to 25, in nine regions of Ukraine and Kyiv, a qualifying stage took place. Based on its results, eight teams advanced to the final part of the competition: "Avia-Grade" (Zaporizhzhia), "DanMarAuto" (Dnipro), "Titan-UPO" (Kropyvnytskyi), "ViYar" (Kyiv), "Yasko" (Vinnytsia), FC "Sevilla" (Poltava), "Tractor" (Uzhhorod) and "Mikilska Slobidka" (Kyiv).

Photo by the press service of UAF

The teams were divided into two groups and played matches in a round-robin format with two halves of 15 minutes each. The Zaporizhzhia "Avia-Grade" became the winner of Group A, scoring seven points in three games, while the Vinnytsia "Yasko" scored 21 goals to win Group B.

These teams met in the final match. The decisive game did not limit itself to 30 minutes of playing time as both sides were tied at 1-1, forcing them into a penalty shootout. "Avia-Grade" players emerged victorious with a score of 5-4.

Photo by the press service of UAF

Before the final match, an exhibition charity game was held between FC "Army" and FC "Maestro," which also delighted spectators with its suspense. The main time ended in a 4-4 draw, but during the penalty shootout, representatives of FC "Army" emerged victorious with a score of 3-1. It should be noted that throughout the entire football day, those wishing could donate money for prosthetics for Ukrainian heroes and compete for cool prizes, including jerseys worn by players of Ukraine's national team.

Photo by the press service of UAF

Participants in the football event were greeted by First Vice President of UAF Vadim Kostyuchenko, who thanked the organizers and partners of the tournament for their help to heroes who sustained severe injuries while defending Ukraine from Russian occupiers.

Photo by the press service of UAF

"Half a year ago, exactly on NTK named after V. Bannikov, a national team was created among players with amputated limbs, whose ranks were filled with boys from the Armed Forces who sustained severe injuries during combat operations. And last week this team secured its place at the European Championship by taking second in their group in Belgium's LIZ Nations League. This is very significant for us! The National Association will support the emergence of such teams across the country, and next year a full-fledged national football championship will start. We are committed to returning our defenders to full lives, including through playing football. It is a great honor for UAF to host tournaments in support of our heroes!" - Vadim Kostyuchenko noted.

Photo by the press service of UAF

Participants in the national final of the Nation's Cup received honorable certificates, while winners and finalists were awarded with the main trophy and medals.

Already at the beginning of November, the champions of the Nation's Cup will represent Ukraine at the international World Corporate Champions Cup tournament taking place in the UAE.