Power Soccer World Cup Postponed Till 2016

• By Laurie Watanabe
• Apr 15, 2015

Hosting the World Cup of power wheelchair soccer on American soil this year won’t happen, and the event has been postponed till 2016, said Dominic Russo, president of the United States Power Soccer Association (USPSA), in an April 13 letter to stakeholders.

“We have completed our proposal and have submitted it for consideration to FIPFA (Fédération Internationale de Powerchair Football Association), Russo said in the bulletin. “Due to the lack of any other bidders, it is not possible to hold the World Cup as originally scheduled in 2015, so FIPFA has moved the event to 2016.”

The delay will give teams from around the world more time to raise the funds they’ll need to make the trip, Russo noted.

The USPSA has chosen Houston as the host city, citing its “ease of international travel and proximity to the playing venue. Houston is a fantastic city, and we have some motivated and excited people on the ground there that want this event in their city. It is critical to the success of this World Cup to have support.”

Russo says the association will need to raise $350,000 if Houston is selected as the host.

“There are a number of reasons for us to host this event,” Russo told stakeholders. “First, it is the America's Zone turn. We are in the best position of all the countries in the zone to make this possible.

“Second, our U.S. team has won back-to-back World Cups and has made history. Our team deserves the opportunity to play on U.S. soil in front of their nations fans to win yet another World Cup title.”

Russo also pointed out that a goal of the World Cup is to generate interest and exposure for the sport of power chair soccer.

In a March article, FIPFA called powerchair football – as it is commonly called outside the United States – the fastest-growing sport in the world.

“We are committed to the growth of the sport,” Russo said, “and this will help us to reach more people in power wheelchairs and ultimately advance our mission as an organization.”