17:49
16.10.2025
On October 13, at the “Cracovia” Stadium in Kraków, during the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between Ukraine and Azerbaijan, the players were led onto the field by children of military personnel who are undergoing rehabilitation after injuries at centers within the national RECOVERY network.
Thanks to the Ukrainian Association of Football and the RECOVERY project, founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to support the Security and Defense Forces, the children visited a large stadium for the first time and fulfilled their dream of seeing a live match of the Ukrainian national team.
Among these kids were children of veterans who, for the first time after their parents’ rehabilitation, went on a trip together — a special moment of unity.
“I was nervous when I walked onto the field with the footballers. I was afraid I would get lost and I was trembling because it was my first time. I was very anxious — there were so many famous players around! It felt like my whole life depended on how I walked out,” shared Katia, who led Oleksii Hutsuliak onto the field — the player who scored Ukraine’s first goal against Azerbaijan.
“I’m happy I got to go on such a trip. When I walked onto the field with the players, I was shaking badly, a little scared. But it wasn’t so scary! The players just held our hands and we walked. Then, when the Ukrainian national anthem started playing, they put a hand on our shoulder and we sang together,” said Illia, who accompanied Artem Dovbyk.
“It was really cool! I liked it a lot! I’d love to do it again. Thank you,” said Matvii, who led Azerbaijan national team captain Emin Mahmudov onto the field. Matvii’s father has been faithfully serving Ukraine for over 10 years.
Notably, among the children was Rostyslav, the son of Maksym Soroka, a player on the amputee football team MSC “Dnipro” (Cherkasy). Maksym took the military oath in 2015, and in September 2024, suffered a severe injury from an FPV drone strike, which led to the loss of his leg. During his rehabilitation at RECOVERY, he began training in amputee football for the first time. Now Maksym has two families — his own and his football family — giving him strength to move forward.
After the opening ceremony of the match, the children joined their parents in the stands and passionately cheered for the Ukrainian national team.
RECOVERY is a national network of rehabilitation centers for wounded soldiers. The project was founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to support Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces. As of today, 18 RECOVERY centers are operating across Ukraine, where over 34,000 servicemen have already received rehabilitation.
The UAF Foundation is a charitable fund established by the Ukrainian Association of Football. It implements social projects and fundraising initiatives aimed at developing football in Ukraine. The Foundation focuses on adaptive football, mass youth football, women’s football, social support, and restoring sports infrastructure. It also initiates projects addressing the consequences of war, using the unifying power of football to create positive change in society.