Homeless World Cup: How a ‘beautiful game’ is changing lives across the globe

By SHAWN HENDRICKS, The Baptist Paper As the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws to a close, with the final match scheduled for July 19, many soccer fans may be interested in following another World Cup coming up soon in Mexico City. Celebrating its 21st year of competition, the Homeless World Cup will (literally) kick off Jan. 17–23. Yes, it’s a real event held in partnership with FIFA — and organizers will quickly tell you that it is changing, and has changed, many lives. International network “Since 2003, we’ve supported over 1.7 million people to rebuild their lives through football,” the group’s website says. “Across our global network of 75 Member Countries, players move forward into employment, education and stable housing.” In 2024, Netflix released globally the movie “The Beautiful Game,” which shares a fictional account of a team from England that competes in the real-life annual event. The idea for the soccer tournament came from co-founders Mel Young and Harald Schmied. The two were reportedly inspired to launch the idea after attending a conference on homelessness in 2001. As a result, the first event was held in Graz, Austria, in 2003 and hosted 18 teams. Since then, the event has
Read More