Football without borders: Karaganda football players won medals at the World Cup

Karaganda natives Anatoly Fedorovsky and Vitaly Kradin won bronze as part of the Kazakhstan national team at the FIFA World Cup for athletes with cerebral palsy. This was the national team's first world tournament.

The Department of Physical Culture and Sports congratulated the athletes on their achievement.

The 2026 IFCPF Men's World Championships took place in Loughborough, England. Kazakhstan began the tournament with two losses—to the USA and Italy—but turned the tide. In the third-place match, the team defeated the tournament hosts, Loughborough, 7-2.

For Anatoly Fedorovsky, football began during his school years at a boarding school for children with musculoskeletal disabilities (MSD). In 2023, he and other athletes from Karaganda were invited to the Kazakhstan Championship in Almaty. This began his journey into professional sports, and then to the national team. At the World Championship, Anatoly played in all matches as a left midfielder.

"Of course, we wanted to bring first or second place to the Karaganda region, but the opponents were stronger. Now we'll be preparing for the European Championship in Denmark. We also want to open a football section for children with disabilities so they can also practice and play. I'm a physical education teacher myself, and I have specialized training in working with children with disabilities, including those with cerebral palsy. I want to develop football in the Karaganda region so that children don't have any limitations and can play sports," the footballer says.

Vitaly Kradin also started playing football as a child—first playing in the yard, then continuing to train at the MSD boarding school.

"The World Cup gave us tremendous experience. We met some strong players and saw the level of international football. Our toughest opponent was the Italian national team. Now the main thing is to continue training and prepare for the next competition," the athlete said.

The "Football for All" project, which has been running in the Karaganda region since 2018, helped them advance in professional football. Its participants—students of the regional boarding school for children with musculoskeletal disabilities—play with teams from regional sports schools and participate in championships.

"Our athletes have shown that they can play football and win. And today, two Karaganda residents won bronze medals at the World Championship as part of the Kazakhstan national team. This is a source of immense pride for us. They have proven that a person's potential isn't limited by their diagnosis and that football truly is for everyone," noted project curator Natalia Sukhorukova.