A Stroll with a Ball: International Walking Football Comes to Cómpeta
Something rather special happened in Cómpeta this week.. Our quiet little village welcomed a team from across the Atlantic — Canada’s international walking football squad — for a friendly, sun-soaked(well actually an unusually overcast)series of matches at the Mullor Bernabéu ground. The atmosphere was relaxed but full of good energy, with locals from Cómpeta and nearby Torrox lacing up their boots for a truly international kickabout.
The Canadian team is here warming up for the FIWFA World Nations Cup 2025, which kicks off in Alicante on 21 October. It’s shaping up to be the biggest tournament yet, with more than 110 teams from 40 nations taking part. Newcomers like Brazil, Sweden, Ghana, Kenya, Argentina, and Croatia are all joining the fun this year — proof that walking football really is becoming a global phenomenon.
For anyone unfamiliar, walking football is exactly what it sounds like: football without the sprinting. Born in 2011, it was designed to keep people over 50 active and connected to the game they love. What started as a clever idea has grown into thousands of teams around the world — and the Axarquía region has quickly become one of Spain’s most welcoming hubs for it.
