Who can play CP football?
A · Advanced · Competition and eligibility · 3 of 3Players must be 15 by 1 January of the tournament year, or 14 for women. They need a permanent neurological impairment, hypertonia, ataxia or athetosis, as in cerebral palsy, that meets the minimum criteria. Classification has three stages: a physical assessment, a technical assessment in small-sided games and observation in competition. Men's and women's teams are separate.
How it works
- Age: 15 by 1 January; 14 for women.
- Under-21: 14 to 20.
- Impairments: hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis.
- Physical assessment: medical classifier.
- Technical assessment: on a pitch, filmed.
- Observation: in competition.
- Profiles: A, B and C.
- Status: Confirmed or Review.
The glossary has the player eligibility, the eligible impairments (CP football), the classification stages, the minimum impairment criteria (CP football), the technical assessment and the profiles A, B and C.
Tricky cases
Is an amputation eligible?
No. Only the three neurological impairments.
Can men and women play together?
Only at participation and development level.
When is the medical form due?
Eight weeks before first classification.
What is profile C?
Unilateral spasticity (hemiplegia).
Why the rule exists
Watching football skills, not only a medical test, shows how the impairment affects play.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 15 | C 3 |
| Women | 14 | C 3 |
| Stages | Three | CL 14 |
From the rule book
IFCPF, Classification Rules 2024, article 14 and Appendix One, with IFCPF, Competition Rules 2025, article 3. Checked 15 October 2026. Official documents: IFCPF Competition Rules, Modifications to the Laws and Classification Rules.