The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) is pleased to announce bookmaker Paddy Power as the title sponsor of the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup.

“We see Paddy Power as a fantastic fit to support our biggest event yet,” said CONIFA President Per-Anders Blind. “Both CONIFA and Paddy Power have reputations for doing things differently, and we are excited about collaborating with them to deliver an incredible celebration of football, culture and international understanding in the sport’s spiritual home, London.”

The 2018 Paddy Power CONIFA World Football Cup is set to bring together 16 teams from across the globe, including defending champions Abkhazia, European champions Padania and debutants such as Tibet, Barawa and Kabylia. The tournament will begin on Thursday 31 May, with the Grand Final decided on Saturday 9 June.

Spokesman Paddy Power said: “I’m thrilled to announce Paddy Power’s sponsorship of the CONIFA World Football Cup – organised for the outsiders and underdogs of international football who aren’t recognised by FIFA.

“We all know that London was supposed to hold a major football tournament this summer, so we decided to serve one up for our UK punters which couldn’t be stolen away by Russian Rubles.

“It is especially exciting because it’s the first time Paddy Power has been involved in organising an entire tournament. Or been mentioned in the same breath as the Dalai Lama.”

CONIFA is an international football federation for teams outside of FIFA, with members including states, de facto states, regions, minority groups and sports-isolated territories. CONIFA is a non-profit organisation registered in Sweden.

Paddy Power, part of Paddy Power Betfair, is an Irish bookmaker with extensive operations in the United Kingdom.