Valledupar, October 15, 2025. Silence will be the best ally of soccer for the blind in Agustín Codazzi. In the Sports Village, 60 athletes from six countries will seek to write a new page in the history of hemispheric Paralympic sport. There, guided by the sound of the ball and the voices of their teammates, teams will compete for glory in a scenario where hearing replaces sight and intuition becomes shared vision.
Before a play is played, each player shouts “I’m coming!” to announce his movement and avoid collisions. Thus, between echoes, voices and bounces, the magic of a sport where companionship, spatial memory and mutual trust replace the sight is born.
History of a game you listen to with your soul
.Soccer for the blind originated in Latin America in the 1960s and was officially recognized by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) in 1981. Its Paralympic debut came at The 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, and it has since established itself as one of the most exciting disciplines on the program.
The sport’s first Paralympic Games were held in Athens in 2004, and since then it has become one of the most exciting disciplines on the program.
Brazil is the historical powerhouse having won five of the six Paralympic gold medals contested since its inclusion in the Games (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020). In Paris 2024, Argentina conquered the silver medal, Brazil took bronze and Colombia came in a creditable fourth place, consolidating itself as an emerging force on the continent.
At the II Parasuramerican Games, soccer for the blind promises to be one of the most followed disciplines. Argentina, Brazil and Colombia – three of the four semifinalists for Paris 2024 – come in as favorites in the title dispute.
In this edition, the hemispheric tournament will mark a milestone: the debut of soccer for the blind in the Parasur American Games, since in Santiago 2014, the first competition, this discipline was not part of the official program. Its presence in the 2026 Parasur American Games reaffirms the growth of the sport and the region’s commitment to inclusion and excellence.
The Parasuramerican field of the Agustin Codazzi Sports Village will be the setting for this story, where each goal will resonate beyond the limits of the field: it will be an echo of overcoming, of passion and of a continent that learns to listen with its heart.
