On 31 May 2018, the alternative world cup will kick off in the British capital and one of the sixteen teams competing in the tournament is North Cyprus.
Sponsored by Paddy Power and organised by the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA), the 2018 CONIFA World Cup in London is a chance for countries and regions not represented by FIFA to participate in a competitive international tournament.
Last year, North Cyprus hosted the CONIFA Euros and progressed to the final, where it was beaten 5-3 on penalties by reigning champions Padanisa. Managed by Bülent Aytaç, the Turkish Cypriot side is among the favourites to lift the trophy in London.
The yet-to-be announced squad is set to include star striker, 18-year-old Ahmet Sivri who was signed by Galatasaray last summer after scoring 52 goals in 66 games in a mixture of senior and B team games for Lefkoşa’s champion-winning club Yenicami AK.
North Cyprus group games
North Cyprus has been drawn in Group B against Karpatalya from the Hungary/Ukraine border region, Tibet from the Far East, and Abkhazia in Northwest Georgia. All three matches will be played at Queen Elizabeth II Stadium – the home ground for Enfield Town FC.
Here are the date and kick-off times for each match:
Thursday 31 May, 3pm: North Cyprus v Karpatalya
Saturday 2 June, 5pm: North Cyprus v Tibet
Sunday 3 June, 3pm: Abkhazia v North Cyprus
Two teams from each of the groups will progress to the quarter-finals. Should North Cyprus progress to the later stages, these matches will also be played at Enfield Town FC.
The dates for the knock-out rounds are: Quarter-finals – Jun 5; Semi-finals – June 7; Final – June 9.
Tickets
Enfield Town’s ground has a capacity of 3,000. There is no ticket allocation by country. Instead, they are on sale to the public on a ‘first come, first served basis’, so North Cyprus fans should buy their match tickets soon as these games are expected to sell out in advance of match day.
Tickets are priced £11 for adults and £5.50 for under-18s. £1 from each ticket sale will be donated to the team of your choice, so make sure to select North Cyprus while booking online. Tickets are available from Eventim – visit the tickets section of the CONIFA website to pick which match you wish to attend, click on Buy Tickets and follow the instructions.
Getting to the venue
Enfield Town FC is located on the outskirts of North London, very near to the A10 and M25. The ground has an extensive car park, which holds around 300 cars.
Alternatively, you can get an overground train to Enfield Chase (Zone 5) and catch the 191 bus from Windmill Hill/Enfield War Memorial (Bus Stop CD) to Baynes Close, about 24 minutes away. The stadium is a few minutes’ walk from there.
Address: Enfield Town FC, Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, 3 Donkey Lane, Enfield EN1 3PL
This’ll help you find the Northern Cyprus group matches 👍⚽️⚽️👍 pic.twitter.com/MKRCSTrmE1
— Ram Ismail (@OneRedRam) March 29, 2018
For more information
To read more about the CONIFA World Cup and the teams competing, visit the CONIFA website.
