###### Abstract  
Background: Classification of athletes in cerebral palsy (CP) football is a key action that aims to promote the participation of all players by minimizing the impact of their physical disabilities on the outcome of the competition by establishing sports classes. As such, a new research line has been included in the classification process at an international level; that is, the analysis of locomotor demands during competition helps classifiers to understand the para-footballers' profile. Therefore, the main aim of this systematic review was to summarize the physical and physiological responses of players with CP in different sport classes during competition. Methods: A bibliographic search was conducted using PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web Of Science databases following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines using the PICOS strategy. Results: Six studies meeting inclusion criteria analyzing physical (i.e., total distances, distances at different speeds, high-intensity and short-term actions, change of directions, etc.) and physiological (heart rate (HR), time spent at different zones of maximum HR, etc.) responses. Findings revealed that para-footballers with CP and minimal impairment impact covered greater total and distance above 23.04 km\(\cdot\)h\({}^{-1}\) and achieved higher maximum speeds during match-play. Notably, no significant differences in physiological responses were observed based on classification. Conclusions: The research suggests that para-footballers with CP and lower physical impairment may exhibit enhanced performance in terms of distance covered and speed during gameplay, highlighting their potential competence in the sport. In addition, the limited number of studies examining the physiological response of para-footballers prevents conclusive results and differentiating between classification groups. para-sport; official matches; performance; exercise; impairment +
Footnote †: journal: Applied Sciences  
dimensions are reduced to 70 m \(\times\) 50 m with 2 \(\times\) 5 m goals, the offside rule does not apply, and throw-ins are put into play by rolling the ball on the ground [1]. Classification of athletes in para-sports, particularly in CP football, is a key action that aims to promote the participation of all players by minimizing the impact of their physical disabilities on the outcome of the competition by establishing sports classes [2; 3; 4]. These sport classes were called C5, C6, C7, and C8 in the first classification system [5] and later FT5 (usually diplegic), FT6 (usually ataxia or atheosis), FT7 (usually hemiplegic), and FT8 (minimal impairment). The new classification system developed by IFCPF, based on scientific knowledge published to date [6; 7], reduces the classes to three profiles (FT1, FT2, and FT3), providing a new setup for competition and including a new minimum disability criterion and new assessment methods. The new structure of sports classes for players with CP is organized as follows: (1) based on the level of the impairment impacting on sport-specific football skills (FT1 = severe impairment; FT2 = moderate impairment, or FT3 = minimal impairment), and (2) the type of disability and/or affected limbs, i.e., (A) bilateral spasticity (spastic diplegia), (B) atheosis/dystonia (dyskinesia or ataxia), or (C) unilateral spasticity (spastic hemiplegia) [1]. The goal of this system is to address the issue of \"cut-off points\", i.e., when the classifiers must decide if a para-footballer has a moderate or mild form of spastic diplegia, atheosis/ataxia or spastic hemiplegia, in contrast with mild forms of these types of disability [8]. During the classification process, medical professionals or physiotherapists carry out the physical evaluation through a battery test to determine the degree of spastic hypertonia, dyskinesia and/or ataxia.