How to qualify in Blind football
How teams qualify for blind football at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics
Blind football at LA28 is one men's tournament of eight teams, each of eight players (64 in all), plus two goalkeepers per team who are not counted in the quota. Places belong to the country, one team each.
| Route | Teams |
|---|---|
| The host, the United States | 1 |
| Asian Championships 2026 (Osaka, Japan) | 1 |
| African Championships 2026 (Alexandria, Egypt) | 1 |
| European Para Championships 2027 (Geneva, Switzerland) | 1 |
| Parapan American Games 2027 (Lima, Peru) | 1 |
| IBSA World Games 2027, Blind Football Cup Division 1 (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) | 1 |
| IBSA World Championships 2027 (São Paulo, Brazil): the top two not yet qualified | 2 |
| Total | 8 |
Asia's place is already decided. At the Asian Championships in Osaka (16 to 25 April 2026), China beat Japan 1-0 in the final. India lost the third-place match 4-1 to Thailand and finished fourth.
India's remaining routes are the 2027 IBSA World Games and the 2027 World Championships.
Eligibility
Each player must have played at least one sanctioned IBSA blind football competition between 1 January 2025 and 2 June 2028, be internationally classified, and hold an IBSA licence (on the ISAS system) for 2028.
The order places are given
The order matters, because each route goes to the best team not already qualified:
- the host;
- the four regional championships, whatever order they are played in;
- the World Games Division 1 cup;
- the World Championships (two places).
So even if the World Championships is played before the Parapan American Games, the Parapan American place is given first.
The host
The United States has a place only if it plays a sanctioned IBSA men's competition between 1 January 2025 and 2 June 2028. If it does not use the place by 2 June 2028, the place goes to the best team not yet qualified at the 2027 World Championships.
Fallbacks
If a region holds no qualifier, or the World Games cup is not held, the place goes to the best team not yet qualified at the 2027 World Championships, from any region. A place a country does not take goes to the next team at the same competition.
Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 16 to 25 April 2026 | Asian Championships, Osaka (China qualified) |
| 1 to 10 November 2026 | African Championships, Alexandria |
| 1 to 15 August 2027 | European Para Championships, Geneva |
| 20 to 29 August 2027 | Parapan American Games, Lima |
| 2027 (date to be set) | IBSA World Games, Tashkent |
| October 2027 (date to be set) | World Championships, São Paulo |
| 15 December 2027 | IBSA confirms regional places |
| 10 and 12 January 2028 | Countries confirm; unused regional places passed on; World Games place given |
| 29 and 31 January 2028 | World Games place confirmed or passed on |
| 2 and 20 February 2028 | World Championships places given and confirmed |
| 25 February 2028 | Last reallocation; countries declare use |
| 5 May 2028 | Accreditation Long List due |
| 2 June 2028 | Host must have played a sanctioned competition |
| 24 July 2028 | Sport entries close |
Where the document is unclear
The timeline gives 1 to 15 August 2027 for the European Para Championships; the boccia chapter of the same document gives 2 to 15 August 2027 for the same Games.