Ice Football Skating Open Cup 2028

Ice Football Skating Open Cup 2028

The First Official International Ice Football Skating Event

A New FIFS Competition Concept - Developed for Ice, Not Copied from Football or Hockey

The Beginning of a New International Ice Discipline

The Ice Football Skating Open Cup 2028 will mark the first official international competition dedicated to Ice Football Skating under Federation International Football Skating (FIFS).

The discipline has been developed under the vision and direction of Dr. Mehdi Salman Pour, President of FIFS, as part of the federation's strategy to create original competition formats with their own identity, rules, scoring systems, and international development pathways.

For many years, athletes and skating communities have experimented informally with ball-based activities on ice. These activities were mainly recreational and were not supported by a unified international competition structure, formal technical regulations, specialized officiating, or an official event platform.

From 2026 to 2028, FIFS intends to transform that informal experience into a structured international discipline and prepare countries, clubs, academies, athletes, coaches, and technical officials for the first official Open Cup in 2028.

A New Surface. A New Challenge. A New Identity for Football Skating.

Created to Be Original

The philosophy behind Ice Football Skating is clear: FIFS should not simply transfer an existing sport onto ice and present it as something new.

The discipline is not intended to be a copy of association football, futsal, ice hockey, or any other established game. It is being designed as an independent competition format shaped specifically by the movement, speed, balance, space, and technical possibilities of ice skating.

The President of FIFS believes that the long-term future of Football Skating depends on creativity, determination, and confidence in original ideas. New disciplines must be built through their own technical logic rather than through imitation.

We should not copy an existing sport and change only the surface. We should create disciplines that have their own rules, identity, and future.

What Makes Ice Football Skating Different

Ice Football Skating is a competitive team discipline played on an ice surface, but its central structure is deliberately different from conventional goal-based sports.

The competition does not use a traditional football goal, a goal frame, or a dedicated goalkeeper. Teams do not win through ordinary shots, goals, penalties, or the scoring logic used in football and hockey.

Instead, teams compete through a series of controlled technical actions, tactical challenges, possession objectives, movement sequences, and scoring opportunities defined in the official Ice Football Skating Laws of the Game.

This different scoring philosophy allows the discipline to use the entire ice surface creatively and places greater emphasis on movement intelligence, control, teamwork, technical execution, and the ability to complete official challenges under pressure.

Competition Without Traditional Goals or Goalkeepers

The absence of traditional goals and goalkeepers is one of the defining features of the discipline.

Two teams compete directly against each other, but the result is determined through an official points system rather than a conventional goal count.

Depending on the approved Laws of the Game, teams may earn points by successfully completing designated actions, reaching technical targets, maintaining controlled sequences, winning specific challenges, or achieving other defined competition objectives.

The exact scoring method, challenge formats, time structure, field markings, penalties, and winning conditions will be governed by the official Laws of the Game and may be refined through technical testing before the first international event.

This structure gives FIFS the flexibility to create a fast, understandable, and visually exciting competition without reproducing the scoring model of another sport.

Two Ice Competition Pathways

The 2028 international program is planned around two related ice-based formats:

Ice Football Skating

A direct team competition in which two teams challenge each other through organized play, ball control, tactical movement, passing, technical sequences, and the official point-scoring system.

Ice Freestyle Football Skating

A performance-based ice discipline focused on individual or group creativity, technical ball control, skating ability, controlled transitions, artistic expression, and specialized freestyle challenges.

These two pathways allow FIFS to develop both competitive team play and creative performance on ice while maintaining a unified international identity.

Mixed-Gender Team Competition

Mixed-gender participation is planned as an important feature of Ice Football Skating.

The inclusion of female and male athletes within the same team can strengthen cooperation, broaden participation, and create a modern international competition identity based on skill, responsibility, communication, and shared tactical roles.

Every athlete should contribute meaningfully to the team. Team structures, minimum participation requirements, substitutions, eligibility, and competition categories will be defined in the official regulations.

The mixed-gender format is intended to increase the visual and social impact of the sport while demonstrating that technical ability, balance, creativity, decision-making, and teamwork are not limited by gender.

Movement, Dribbling and Passing on Ice

The ice surface transforms every technical action.

Acceleration, stopping, turning, balance recovery, spatial awareness, and timing all become more demanding. A simple pass on a conventional surface becomes a high-level technical action when performed at speed on ice.

The discipline is expected to feature:

• controlled skating with the ball
• rapid changes of direction
• technical dribbling
• short and long passing sequences
• movement into open space
• team support and rotation
• one-touch exchanges
• deception and body movement
• creative transitions
• and controlled technical challenges

The combination of these elements can create a competition that is fast, intelligent, visually dynamic, and highly engaging for spectators.

A Discipline Built for Spectator Excitement

Ice Football Skating has the potential to attract audiences because it combines the speed of ice movement with the creativity and tactical interaction of ball-based team competition.

The sport can deliver:

• continuous movement
• rapid transitions
• unexpected changes of direction
• technical ball control under pressure
• creative passing patterns
• mixed-gender teamwork
• high-visibility athlete movement
• short and intense competition phases
• and a scoring system built around challenges and points

The absence of a traditional goal does not reduce the excitement. It allows the event to focus on a broader range of competitive achievements and creates suspense around every official challenge and scoring opportunity.

Development Program: 2026-2028

From 2026 to 2028, FIFS plans to support an international preparation period for countries and participating structures.

The development phase may include:

• introductory ice training programs
• athlete identification and selection
• adaptation of Football Skating skills to ice
• mixed-gender team formation
• technical testing of official challenges
• coach and official education
• pilot matches and demonstration events
• safety and equipment assessment
• international consultation
• and preparation for the 2028 Open Cup

Countries, clubs, academies, ice facilities, and affiliated organizations will be encouraged to begin early so that athletes can develop the skating control, ball skills, tactical understanding, and safety awareness required for official competition.

The preparation journey begins before the first championship. Countries should begin building their ice teams now.

Athlete Preparation and Safety

Ice Football Skating requires specialized preparation because athletes must combine ice-skating competence with ball control, tactical awareness, and team interaction.

Training may include:

• forward and backward skating fundamentals
• safe stopping and turning
• balance recovery
• controlled falling techniques
• ball control on ice
• passing and receiving at speed
• team spacing and rotation
• physical conditioning
• protective-equipment familiarization
• challenge-specific training
• and emergency and medical protocols

FIFS will continue to develop safety standards covering equipment, rink conditions, athlete readiness, age categories, medical requirements, supervision, and technical progression.

Advanced participation should be based on demonstrated competence rather than enthusiasm alone.

The Official Laws of the Game

The official Ice Football Skating Laws of the Game will define the complete competition framework.

The regulations are expected to address:

• rink dimensions and markings
• team composition
• mixed-gender requirements
• match or challenge duration
• ball specifications
• approved equipment
• official scoring actions
• challenge structure
• possession and control rules
• technical violations
• contact restrictions
• penalties and deductions
• substitutions
• officials and judging roles
• tie-breaking procedures
• and event safety standards

The Laws of the Game will be published separately and may be updated following pilot testing, technical review, and the experience gained from the first official event.

The First Official Open Cup in 2028

The first official Ice Football Skating Open Cup is planned for 2028 in a suitable host country with appropriate ice facilities, operational capacity, international access, accommodation, safety systems, and institutional support.

The Open Cup format is intended to support the launch phase of the discipline and create access for qualified countries, teams, clubs, academies, and affiliated structures.

Participation will remain subject to official registration, athlete eligibility, technical preparation, medical and safety compliance, equipment standards, event regulations, and final approval by the organizing authority.

The first edition will establish the initial international benchmark for the discipline and provide the practical experience required for future national, continental, and world-level development.

Why the 2028 Edition Matters

The 2028 Open Cup will be more than the first tournament. It will be the official international introduction of a new discipline.

The event will allow FIFS to evaluate and strengthen:

• competition format
• challenge design
• scoring clarity
• team composition
• mixed-gender participation
• rink layout
• equipment standards
• safety procedures
• technical officiating
• broadcast presentation
• spectator understanding
• and the future championship pathway

The first athletes, coaches, officials, teams, and host partners will become part of the founding international generation of Ice Football Skating.

The Role of FIFS

FIFS will retain international authority over Ice Football Skating and Ice Freestyle Football Skating.

Its responsibilities will include:

• recognition of the disciplines
• approval of the Laws of the Game
• technical and safety standards
• competition formats
• team and athlete eligibility
• international event authorization
• appointment of technical officials
• event supervision
• governance and integrity
• and long-term global development

FIFS will protect the original identity of the disciplines and ensure that their development remains consistent with the federation's international vision.

The Role of IPTC

Within the authorized framework of FIFS, IPTC may support the educational, certification, operational, licensing, and international-development dimensions of the project.

Its support may include:

• coach and technical-official education
• event-management training
• team-development guidance
• pilot-event coordination
• documentation and registration
• international seminars
• competition operations
• host-country support
• media and promotional coordination
• and delivery support for the 2028 Open Cup

IPTC will help translate the technical vision of FIFS into structured education, preparation, and international event delivery.

Future International Development

Following the first Open Cup, Ice Football Skating may develop through:

• national demonstration events
• official national championships
• regional ice competitions
• continental championships
• international club events
• school and university formats
• youth and junior categories
• women's and mixed-gender pathways
• technical-official certification systems
• and future World Cup or World Championship editions

The 2028 event will provide the technical, organizational, and promotional foundation required for this expansion.

A New Identity on Ice

Ice Football Skating represents a new direction for the international development of Football Skating.

It combines:

• ice-skating speed
• ball control
• technical movement
• tactical intelligence
• mixed-gender cooperation
• dribbling and passing
• creative challenge design
• spectator excitement
• and an original points-based competition system

Its identity does not depend on copying football or hockey. Its identity is created through its own Laws of the Game, its own scoring philosophy, and its own international pathway.

Not Football on Ice. Not Hockey with a Ball. Ice Football Skating - Created by FIFS.

The Vision for 2028

In 2028, FIFS intends to present the first official international Ice Football Skating Open Cup to athletes, countries, partners, media, and the wider sporting community.

The event will demonstrate that the ice surface can support a new form of team competition built around movement, control, creativity, technical challenges, and a scoring system independent from traditional goals.

It will also open the door to Ice Freestyle Football Skating and future competition pathways that can engage athletes from skating, football, freestyle, and performance backgrounds.

Prepare the Ice. Build the Team. Enter the First International Generation.

Federation International Football Skating - FIFS

Ice Football Skating Open Cup 2028

A New Surface. A New Challenge. A New World Discipline.