A team rising against adversity
In the bustling streets of Mexico City, a small group of women laces up their shoes not for fashion but for a game that challenges perception.
Chilangas FC, founded in 2022 by coach Wendy del Río, is one of only six women’s blind football teams in the country, yet it dreams of representing Mexico on the continental stage.
The players confront a triad of obstacles: scarce funding, makeshift training venues, and entrenched stereotypes that question their place in sport.
Their practice takes place on a public court where the ball is equipped with sound devices, and every session depends on donations to cover equipment and travel.
To compete in the upcoming Copa América in Brazil, the squad must raise roughly one million pesos, a target that could unlock participation in the first ever women’s blind football national team effort.
Beyond the pitch, the team offers confidence, friendship and a sense of independence to women who navigate life with visual impairment.
Across Mexico, an estimated 16 million people live with some form of visual disability, but only about 45 women currently play organized blind football, underscoring both the need and the potential of initiatives like Chilangas FC.
The club works alongside organizations such as Fondo Semillas and the Mexican Federation of Sports for the Blind and Visually Impaired, leveraging partnerships to amplify impact.
As they set their sights on Brazil, the team hopes to inspire a new generation and pave the way for a national program that could make Mexico the fourth country to field a women’s blind football national side.