DUBAI – October 13, 2018:   Germany beat Poland 1-0 in the final match of the inaugural edition of the ‘Six-a-Side’ mini football World Cup held in Lisbon. The lone goal of the match was scored by Germany's Nicklaus Koble.  

Organised by International Socca Federation (ISF), the inaugural edition of Socca 6 World Cup took place in the iconic Praça do Comércio in Lisbon’s city centre. Best national teams of 32 countries from around the world competed in the week-long tournament. 

Poland won against hosts Portugal 2 - 1 in the first semi-final to set up a final battle with Germany, who beat Russia 4 - 3 in the second semi-final. The jury awarded the fair play trophy to Pakistan for an exemplary show of discipline and sportsmanship. 

Mr. Shahzeb Mahmood Trunkwala, Vice President of International Socca Federation (ISF) and CEO of Leisure Leagues Pakistan (LLP), gave away the trophies to the winning teams.   

Commenting on the tournament, Mr. Trunkwala said, “We are glad to create a successful mini World Cup in this new format of ‘Six-a-Side’ football tournament. The response we have received for this tournament was awesome and overwhelming. The fun and excitement of playing and witnessing the game was extraordinary.” 

“The ‘6-a-side’ football tournament caters to the millennial generation. We featured players of the best continental and worldwide national teams in the mini World Cup. This was a great opportunity for many countries to be part of a world-class tournament,” he added. 

“We are spearheading a movement to make small the ‘Six-A-Side’ football a very popular sport in Russia and other parts of the world. Introduction of Leisure Leagues across Asia is high on our agenda, leading up the staging of the first ‘Six-A-Side’ Asia Cup in football soon,” Mr. Trunkwala further said.  

“The ISF was set up as a separate, independent governing body, specifically for small sided football formats – five, six and seven-a-side in order to look after the interests of the sport separately to the existing governing bodies,” he said. 

He wants to see the International Socca Cup hosted in a Gulf country in the near future. He is also seeking opportunities for the LLP to play in the region as part of showcasing Pakistani players’ talent in 204 countries and play in regular international football tournaments. 

The ISF is the leading organizer of international small-sided football competitions for both national teams and club teams in the formats of 5,6, 7 and 8-a-side football. The 6-a-side football tournament is gaining momentum with 2.1 billion people are playing in the new format worldwide. 

The ‘Six-a-Side’ mini football World Cup is being supported by a number of organisations as well as receiving substantial support from governments. This format is a variation of association football, in which each team fields six players (five outfield players and a goalkeeper). Other differences from football include a smaller pitch, smaller goals, a reduced game duration. 

The ISF was founded in 2017 by national operators of small-sided socca leagues from across Europe and Asia. The global federation runs continental and worldwide cup competitions for national teams, as well as Champions league competitions for club teams. ISF’s national license holders represent the largest and strongest league operators in their respective countries.