Children of servicemen undergoing rehabilitation at Recovery Centers led Ukraine and Azerbaijan national teams onto the field in Kraków

On October 13, at the “Cracovia” Stadium in Kraków, during the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between Ukraine and Azerbaijan, the players were led onto the field by children of military personnel who are undergoing rehabilitation after injuries at centers within the national RECOVERY network.

Thanks to the Ukrainian Association of Football and the RECOVERY project, founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to support the Security and Defense Forces, the children visited a large stadium for the first time and fulfilled their dream of seeing a live match of the Ukrainian national team.

Among these kids were children of veterans who, for the first time after their parents’ rehabilitation, went on a trip together — a special moment of unity.

“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 led Oleksii Hutsuliak onto the field — the player who scored Ukraine’s first goal against Azerbaijan.

“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 accompanied Artem Dovbyk.

“It was really cool! I liked it a lot! I’d love to do it again. Thank you,” said Matvii, who led Azerbaijan national team captain Emin Mahmudov onto the field. Matvii’s father has been faithfully serving Ukraine for over 10 years.

Notably, among the children was