My dad got involved with powerchair football through me," England goalkeeper Chris Gordon says of his father Colin. "But he's now coaching Argentina, so we'll be facing each other in the World Cup." For Gordon Jr, who is playing at his fourth Powerchair Football World Cup for England, Sunday's meeting with hosts Argentina carries extra significance with his dad in the opposite dugout in Buenos Aires. Gordon Sr is himself a former professional footballer, a striker at clubs including Birmingham City, Fulham and Leicester City in the 1980s and 90s, who later became a football agent.
"My dad and I have worked together at West Brom for a number of years and then he coached me for the England national team," Chris says of their working relationship. But this one is more personal. At the last World Cup in 2023, Colin managed England to the final, where they lost on penalties against France.
But this time around, Chris is hoping to get one over his father. "England will definitely come out on top [against Argentina], so bragging rights will be coming my way," the Kidderminster resident told BBC Sport. Powerchair football, also known as power football or wheelchair football, is a four-a-side sport played by people with impairments including muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and spinal muscular atrophy.
All it requires is a basketball court, a bigger football and powerchairs with front bumpers on that allow players to shoot, pass and dribble the ball. In England, the game has two top divisions in which teams from around the country compete. Hundreds of players also play in regional leagues around the country.
Leagues also exist in Scotland and across the island of Ireland, while teams are developing apace in Cardiff and Wrexham. Over the next week, 10 teams - ranging from hosts Argentina and neighbours Uruguay to as far afield as Australia and Japan - will compete for the World Cup. Games begin on Saturday, with the final on Friday 23 October.
All matches will be streamed live on YouTube, external as teams compete to be crowned world champions. England are among the favourites for this year's tournament - alongside France and the USA - and there's a real sense of optimism that they could bring the trophy back home. The England squad has youth and experience.
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