The 16 sides who will compete in the CONIFA World Football Cup 2020 have been announced.
The finals will take place between 30 May-7 June 2020 in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia. The CONIFA website has indicated that the following teams will participate in Macedonia:
Africa
Matabeleland
Kabylia
Darfur
Western Sahara
Asia
Tamil Eelam
Panjab
United Koreans in Japan
Europe
South Ossetia
Western Armenia
Kernow
Ellan Vannin
Karpatalya
North America
Cascadia
Oceania
Australian First Nations
South America
Mapuche
Global ticket
Chagos Islands
There are some new names who did not play in London in 2018 including Darfur who have played Cascadia in a friendly but are new to the World Finals.
From Europe come South Ossetia a breakaway republic in the former Soviet state of Georgia, and Kernow, who English speakers will know better as Cornwall, the county at the far south west tip of England.
Cornwall has a separate identity from England and their language is Celtic, from the same family as Welsh and Breton.
They will not however be among Cascadia’s opponents in the Southern Frontier Cup this May. Yorkshire and Surrey are not in the finals although the Chagos Islands who will play in Skopje, are.
Cascadia played the Islanders in their first ever friendly last year, winning 6-3.
Also new is a team from Australia representing the First Nations people or Aboriginals to many people.
From South America, there is a Mapuche side. The Mapuche are also an indigenous people who come south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts Patagonia.
According to the ConIFA site, there is a full reserve list of teams in case any of the qualified teams can no longer attend the 2020 World Football Cup. This list is also dependent on each team paying its CONIFA membership fee by the deadline, and signing a tournament contract, so may be subject to change.
Cascadia
ConIFA World Cup
