Children of Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers Lead National Team Onto Field in FIFA Qualifier vs Azerbaijan

In a special moment ahead of kick-off, Ukrainian players were led onto the pitch by children of military personnel undergoing rehabilitation through the national RECOVERY network.

The initiative was made possible by the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) and the RECOVERY project—launched by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to support Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces. For many of the children, it was their first visit to a stadium and their first time witnessing a live match featuring Ukraine’s national team.

Among the young participants were children of veterans who, for the first time since their parents began recovery, traveled together—a moment described by organizers as deeply symbolic of healing and resilience.

“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 accompanied Oleksii Hutsuliak—the player who went on to score Ukraine’s opening goal.

Also present was Rostyslav, son of Maksym Soroka, a player of the amputee football team MSC “Dnipro” (Cherkasy). Maksym joined the military in 2015 and lost a leg to an FPV drone strike in September 2024. During his recovery through RECOVERY, he began training in amputee football — gaining strength from both his family and newfound teammates.

“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 walked alongside striker Artem Dovbyk.

Following the ceremony, the children rejoined their parents in the stands and cheered passionately for Ukraine.

After the opening ceremony of the match, the children joined their parents in the stands and passionately cheered for the Ukrainian national team.

Their support was well rewarded—Ukraine went on to defeat Azerbaijan with a final score of 2:1.

RECOVERY is a nationwide network of rehabilitation centers for wounded Ukrainian servicemen, currently operating in 18 locations across the country. Over 34,000 defenders have received care through the program since its launch.

The UAF Foundation, a charitable initiative of the Ukrainian Association of Football, supports a broad range of social and sport-related projects—from women’s and youth football to war recovery programs—using the power of football to promote healing and inclusion across Ukrainian society.

Earlier, at a recent Ukrainian Premier League match at Kyiv’s Valeriy Lobanovskyi Stadium, children who had been rescued from Russian deportation or returned from temporarily occupied territories took to the field hand in hand with Dynamo Kyiv players.

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