Women amputees in South America train to be World Cup soccer contenders

SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia (AP) — From a distance, the women running sprints, taking corner kicks and dribbling past defenders on a soccer field in eastern Bolivia on Friday could easily be mistaken for players preparing for next year's FIFA Women’s World Cup. But the goalies are making saves with a single arm while other players are using crutches to propel themselves down the pitch.

This is the first soccer training camp in South America for female amputees seeking to represent their countries in the 2027 Women's Amputee Football World Cup. Nearly three dozen women from 10 countries — including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia — converged on the field in Bolivia's lowland city of Santa Cruz for five days of training that concluded Friday with friendly matches. Most of the participants have lost limbs to infections or traumatic injuries.

Under the rules of the amputee cup, a seven-a-side soccer tournament, all prosthetic limbs must be removed before the game kicks off. Players rely on crutches to run but cannot use them to touch the ball. Elite athletes from around the world, including from the U.S. Women’s National Amputee Soccer Team, helped coach the camp, which was organized by the World Amputee Football Federation, the body that governs the global tournaments, along with local authorities and nonprofits.

“The life of amputees can sometimes be hard, but we adapt really fast,” said Amie Donathan, 21, from the U.S. team, who was born with one leg. “The way I feel about this camp, honestly, can't be described.”

The training in Bolivia, unfolding while the world remains captivated by the final week of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, covered everything from balance, coordination and movement on crutches to ball control, tactics and the rules of amputee soccer.

Men have played international amputee soccer since the 1980s and now compete in a World Cup every four years. The sport has grown steadily in recent decades, particularly in places scarred by war like Gaza and Rwanda.

But the women’s game only held its first World Cup in 2024. The host, Colombia, clinched the inaugural title. The next Amputee Women's World Cup will take place in Poland in 2027, with the specific date and city yet to be announced, the camp organizers told The Associated Press.

“It’s so that women with amputations can realize their dream through sports, through soccer,” said Lidia Mayser, president of the sports council for the Santa Cruz region, which is working to create a national federation and assemble a team to represent Bolivia at next year's tournament.

For Filomena Luna, the training has helped her find community and embrace a sport she never imagined she could play. The mother of six lost a leg at age 11 after an infection worsened when her parents initially sought treatment from a traditional healer instead of a doctor. Now 50, she hopes to one day represent Bolivia on the world stage.

“This practicing and training has helped me improve tremendously," she said. “Soccer is an escape for me."

Players hug each other after playing during a women's amputee soccer clinic in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Players vie for the ball during a women's amputee soccer clinic in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Players hug each other after playing during a women's amputee soccer clinic in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A woman fixes her hair before playing during a women's amputee soccer clinic in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Players vie for the ball during a women's amputee soccer clinic Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Palyers stand on the field prior to playing during a women's amputee soccer clinic in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Players vie for the ball during a women's amputee soccer clinic in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — France and England agree on this: Neither team wanted to be playing on Saturday.

France was a favorite to win the World Cup. England was close to ending a decades-long wait for its first World Cup title since 1966.

Both fell one match short of their ultimate goals after losses in the semifinals. And instead of playing in Sunday's final — that game will be between Argentina and Spain — England and France will face each other in a consolation match for third place.

“None of us wanted to play in this game for third place,” France defender Ibrahima Konate said Friday. “But we don't have a choice to play. France and England have a big story together. And yeah, we are looking forward for the game tomorrow, and let's see what will happen.”

Though the match will provide little more than moral victories, it may give Thomas Tuchel a chance to regain favor after the England coach faced widespread criticism about his tactical choices in the Three Lions' semifinal loss to Argentina.

“Nobody wants to be, tomorrow, in this game,” Tuchel said Friday evening. “All of these four teams wanted to be in New York (at the final). But it is an official World Cup game. It's a chance to have the best result in 60 years for England. Mentality is not something that you switch on and switch off as you like it. It is a moment to show that we are actually made of what we showed through the whole tournament.”

France star Kylian Mbappé also still has a chance to win the Golden Boot, awarded to the tournament's leading scorer.

Mbappé has eight goals, tied with Argentina's Lionel Messi for the tournament lead. Messi has an edge in the tiebreaker with four assists to Mbappé's three. England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are also in the mix with six goals each.

France coach Didier Deschamps said Mbappé is available for Saturday's match — the star participated in France's training session Friday in Fort Lauderdale — but added he will make changes to his regular lineup. Tuchel said there will also be changes to England's lineup.

“We do have a match for the third place playoff, and there's a duty,” Deschamps said. “We have duties. I have duties, my staff has duties and so do the players. We have a responsibility to wear this jersey for all the French people who are cheering for us.”

It will also be the final game for Deschamps as France's coach after 14 years leading the squad. Konate said the French players want to “pay back our head coach” with one last win.

“He carried many French players,” Konate said. “We had some disappointing moments, but he brought a lot of joy.”

France won the World Cup under Deschamps in 2018, lost a gut-wrenching final to Argentina on penalties in 2022, and fell short tactically on Tuesday, when the offensive firepower of Mbappé, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise was neutralized by the stout Spanish defense.

Deschamps won one major trophy — albeit the biggest of all — having lost the European Championship final on home soil in 2016.

“I know it will be the last match and I also know that the French national team will be missed,” Deschamps said. “I had the privilege for 15 years to be up here with this jersey, to experience magnificent moments, more difficult moments. The French national team is the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me in my professional career.”

For England, which reached the World Cup semis for the first time since 2018, there is still work to do in closing the gap with France, Argentina and Spain.

“I think out of the four (semifinal) teams, the other three teams almost expect to be world champions,” Tuchel said. “We were hoping. We were dreaming. We were pushing and believing. But still we have to close that gap. And we're up for that from tomorrow.”

The German coach, who has won trophies with Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, said his squad was too passive against defending champion Argentina. Leading 1-0 going into the 85th minute and in a defensive shell, England surrendered goals to Enzo Fernández and substitute Lautaro Martínez amid widely questioned tactics and substitutions by Tuchel.

He said he trusted his instincts during the match and did not regret his decisions.

“If it’s easier that someone takes the blame,” Tuchel added, “I take the blame.”

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

England's head coach Thomas Tuchel responds to a question during a news conference ahead of their third-place World Cup soccer match against France, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

France's Kylian Mbappe, right, participates in a training session with the team ahead of their Bronze medal World Cup soccer match against England Friday, July 17, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

France's Ibrahima Konate listens during a news conference ahead of their third-place World Cup soccer match against England, in Miami Gardens, Fla., Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

France's head coach Didier Deschamps speaks during a news conference ahead of their third-place World Cup soccer match against England, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)