REAL CHANGE HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE COME TOGETHER
Mel Young, Homeless World Cup Co-Founder and President at the Opening Ceremony of the Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup
As we begin a new year, I want to wish everyone connected to the Homeless World Cup FOUNDATION a safe, healthy and prosperous 2026.
At the Homeless World Cup Foundation, we are looking ahead to what will be a truly significant year for our movement. In October, we will host the 21st edition of the Homeless World Cup in Mexico City, welcoming teams from across the world to one of the most vibrant and exciting host cities we’ve ever worked with.
It will be the third time we have brought the tournament to Mexico - a hat-trick - and it comes at a moment when global attention is firmly on football across Mexico, Canada and the USA. With all eyes on the region, we hope to captivate new audiences and proudly showcase a tournament with purpose, alongside the biggest sporting moments in the world.
The Homeless World Cup is not our only work but it powerfully represents what we believe in. We believe a world without homelessness is possible and that real change happens when people come together through many small actions that create a much bigger catalyst for change.
In 2025, we were proud to host a fantastic tournament in Oslo. It was inspiring to see our African Member Countries lift the trophies, with Egypt and Uganda crowned champions and we now look forward to seeing who will take that honour in Mexico City later this year.
Uganda Women and Egypt Men winners of the Women’s Homeless World Cup and Men’s Homeless World Cup in Oslo at the 20th edition of the tournament
The Homeless World Cup is more than a game.
Yes, results matter but so does impact. We change lives and we do so 365 days a year, working closely alongside our global 73 Member Countries, who support people experiencing homelessness in their communities every single day. In 2026, we hope to grow our network of Member Countries, reach more people, change more lives and continue to strengthen and grow the women’s game across our movement.
We have also seen real success beyond the flagship tournament. Our work tackling the exploitation of vulnerable women through football in Africa has had a powerful impact and in June we saw a resounding success with the 2024 Africa Women’s Cup, held in Nairobi, Kenya. These regional initiatives show what is possible and we hope to build on this momentum by delivering similar regional tournaments in the future.
The Africa Women’s Cup was held in Nairobi, Kenya. The second edition of the tournament is part of a project being led by the Homeless World Cup Foundation
There is much to be excited about this year. Our Cities Ending Homelessness Forum continues to go from strength to strength and will return to Mexico City for the fourth time. We are also proud to be working alongside global organisations across sport and beyond, with exciting announcements to come.
None of this would be possible without public support. We exist because of the generosity of people who care. Our Virtual Stadium of Change will remain a constant call to action throughout the year and it’s a simple way for people everywhere to stand with our players and our mission.
I want to thank our Member Countries for the extraordinary work they do, supporting more than 200,000 people every year. Since 2003, together we have impacted 1.7 million lives but there is still so much more to be done.
I am deeply grateful to our staff team, our Board of Trustees, our incredible international volunteers who step up time and again and the companies and partners who support us with such goodwill, from sport platforms to technology partners. In 2026, we also look forward to growing our commercial network and welcoming new organisations who share our belief in the power of sport to drive social change.
I hope you all had a good festive break. This time of year can be especially challenging for people experiencing homelessness, so please look out for one another, continue to show compassion and continue to support the Homeless World Cup Foundation and the work we do together.
Thank you for being part of our journey.
Mel Young
Co-Founder & President
Homeless World Cup Foundation
