This month, footballers from around the world convene in Sacramento for the 20th annual Homeless World Cup. This year’s tournament will kick off on July 8 from Hornet Stadium on the Campus of Sacramento State University – marking the first time the competition is held in the United States.
Since 2003, the Homeless World Cup has been held each year to provide a global support network, inspire people who are homeless to change their own lives, and change perceptions and attitudes towards people who are experiencing homelessness. Each year, Member Countries inspire more than 100,000 homeless people across the globe, with over 500 players participating each year in more than 400 games over 8 days.
After the opening ceremony kicks off the tournament, the competition’s qualifying stages will begin, determining the squads that advance to the group stage from July 12-13. The semifinals are set for Friday, July 14, and the tournament’s champions will be crowned on Saturday July 15. Later this week, each participating team will be placed in a draw to determine matchups for the qualifying stage.
Admission to matches comes at no cost – but fans are encouraged to RSVP to reserve their seat today at 2023HomelessWorldCup.org. Throughout the week, Republic FC will be present to continue its support of the beautiful game and Sacramento community, with select players from the club’s first team appearing to cheer on their respective nations’ and present the daily fair play award.
This year’s tournament will also be the first to feature a global symposium alongside the competition to continue the conversation on homelessness. The morning of July 12, tournament organizers will host an opportunity to hear from a panel of global experts, players from the tournament and most importantly, those who have experienced homelessness. The global symposium is free and open to the public; the deadline to RSVP is July 10.
The 2023 competition marks the tournament’s 20th edition and first since the COVID-19 pandemic halted play. This year, 31 men’s squads and 14 women’s squads from around the globe will take the pitch. Earlier today, Street Soccer USA announced Team USA’s rosters for the tournament, featuring three Sacramento Area players, and two Sacramento area coaches, each representing Street Soccer Sacramento.
