A team of Western Armenia stunned rivals from Chagos Islands 12-0 before losing 0-1 to the hosts at the group stage of the second World Cup for associations outside international soccer’s governing body, FIFA, taking place in Abkhazia.

The tournament being held under the umbrella of the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (ConIFA) – a body representing nations, dependencies, unrecognized states, minorities, stateless peoples, regions, and micronations not affiliated with FIFA – brings together 12 teams from such internationally unrecognized or partly recognized countries as Northern Cyprus, Kurdistan, Panjab, as well as obscure territories and entities like Padania, Raetia, Sapmi, Somaliland and others.

Western Armenia, which unites soccer players from the Armenian Diaspora, thus qualified along with Abkhazia for the quarterfinals.

Two years ago, a team of Nagorno Karabakh participated in a similar tournament played under the aegis of ConIFA in Ostersund, Sweden. The Karabakhi soccer players finished in the ninth place, managing to beat the teams of Darfur (12-0) and Sapmi (Laplanders) (5-1). 

Source: ArmeniaNow.com