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NIGERIA AND 50 OTHER NATIONS TO PLAY IN SACRAMENTO, UNITED STATES

Nigeria and 50 other countries including host United States of America will be featuring at the 18th edition of the annual Homeless World Cup tournament.



The Sacramento 2023 event will be delivered by the Homeless World Cup Foundation in coordination with California State University, Sacramento and the Homeless World Cup’s US partner – Street Soccer USA.

The Street Soccer tournament will take place from 08 July to 15 July 2023 with a welcome event on the evening of Friday 07 July, then the opening parade and games will start Saturday 08 July.


Team Nigeria poses for photograph at Homeless world cup match

In a letter to Team Nigeria Director, Mr Yomi Kuku, Zoë Hopkins International Partnerships Manager Homeless World Cup Foundation expressed delight at welcoming Nigeria to Sacramento, California and further expressing gratitude for the important and life-changing work “that you are doing in your country to end homelessness and social exclusion”.


Yomi Kuku, Team Nigeria Director.

Nigeria has an exemplary record playing in the Homeless World Cup with 3 quarterfinal appearances and 1 semi-final which was in 2009 in Milan, where Nigeria lost to eventual winners Ukraine, but going on to win the “UEFA FAIR PLAY TROPHY”.

Yomi Kuku flank by former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and other dignitaries

It will be recalled that Nigeria made a maiden appearance in Cape Town, South Africa in 2006.

The Homeless World Cup was co-founded by Mel Young and Harald Schmied in 2001 to advocate for a global solution to homelessness. The first annual football tournament took place in 2003 in Graz, Austria. Host cities since then have included Gothenburg, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Cape Town, Melbourne, Milan, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Mexico City, Poznań, Santiago, Amsterdam, Glasgow, Oslo and Mexico City. 

Most recently, the 2019 edition was hosted by Wales in Bute Park, Cardiff, with Michael Sheen opening the tournament.

The 2020 tournament had been due to take place in Tampere, Finland, but was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mel Young, Homeless World Cup President and Co-Founder, said: “Since 2003 we have proved that the power of football can change lives and through our annual tournament and our partnerships across the world, we are committed to tackling and ending homelessness.

“Everyone at the Homeless World Cup, our global Member Countries and our loyal supporters have deeply missed our annual tournament, so we are delighted, excited and encouraged to be in a position to announce alongside our partner Street Soccer USA that the state capital of California, Sacramento and California State University, Sacramento will be hosting the Homeless World Cup in 2023.”

California State University, Sacramento President Robert Nelsen said: “The University’s role as tournament host is another illustration of its commitment to building deep and meaningful connections in our community and beyond.


“I am proud to that we will host the Homeless World Cup in 2023, and I look forward to welcoming athletes from around the world to our campus. This event will reimagine the conversations surrounding the global issue of homelessness while transforming the lives of the athletes as well as the spectators.”

Lawrence Cann, Street Soccer USA Co-founder and President said: "Hosting the Homeless World Cup for the first time in the United States is a signal of Street Soccer USA's ambition to drive social impact through soccer at scale and from the bottom up.



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