The Homeless World Cup explained
An annual street football tournament for people who have experienced homelessness: its history, eligibility rules, the 4-a-side format and its host cities.
Most football tournaments ask who is the best. The Homeless World Cup asks a different question: what happens when people who have lived on the streets get the chance to represent their country? It is the best-known street football competition in the world, and it shares a lot with the streetfootballworld festival 06 in Berlin.
Origins
The Homeless World Cup organisation was co-founded by Mel Young and Harald Schmied in 2001, with the aim of pushing for a global solution to homelessness. The first tournament took place in 2003 in Graz, Austria. A women’s competition was added in 2008, and since 2010 every edition has featured both men’s and women’s teams.
The organisation’s international headquarters is in Edinburgh, Scotland. It works through more than 79 national partners that run football programmes and social enterprises in their own countries.
Host cities
The tournament moves every year. Hosts have included Graz, Gothenburg, Edinburgh, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Milan, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Poznań, Santiago, Amsterdam, Glasgow, Oslo, Mexico City and Cardiff. The 2019 edition in Bute Park, Cardiff, was opened by actor Michael Sheen. The 2020 event, due in Tampere, Finland, was cancelled because of COVID-19. Sacramento, California, hosted in 2023 and Seoul in 2024.
Who can play
Players must be at least 16 and must not have played in a previous Homeless World Cup. They must also meet one of these conditions:
- have been homeless at some point since the previous year’s tournament, under their country’s definition of homelessness;
- earn their main income selling a street newspaper;
- be an asylum seeker without positive status, or have obtained residency within the year before the event;
- be in drug or alcohol rehabilitation and have been homeless at some point in the past two years.
The one-time-only rule matters. The tournament is meant to be a step out of homelessness, not a career.
The format
The game is designed for small, fast pitches:
| Rule | Homeless World Cup |
|---|---|
| Players on court | 4 per team (3 outfield, 1 goalkeeper) |
| Substitutes | 4, rolling substitutions |
| Match length | 14 minutes (two halves of 7) |
| Pitch | 22 m × 16 m, synthetic turf since 2015 |
| Points | Win 3, loss 0; draws go to sudden-death penalties (winner 2, loser 1) |
Compare that with five-a-side football or the 12-minute, five-a-side matches of Festival 06: short games on small pitches keep everyone involved.
On screen
The tournament has reached a wide audience through film and TV. Kicking It (2008), narrated by Colin Farrell, followed seven players at the 2006 edition in South Africa and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Canal+ broadcast Hors-Jeu: Carton rouge contre l’exclusion about the Paris 2011 edition. In 2023 the South Korean film Dream was built around a coach of the national homeless team, and in 2024 Netflix released The Beautiful Game, starring Bill Nighy. FIFA+ broadcasts the tournament.
Journalist Rick Reilly called covering it “one of the best things I’ve covered in all my years”.
FAQ
When did the Homeless World Cup start?
The organisation was founded in 2001 and the first tournament was held in Graz, Austria, in 2003.
How many players are on each team?
Four on the court: three outfield players and a goalkeeper, plus four rolling substitutes.
Can a player take part more than once?
No. Each player can only play in one Homeless World Cup.
Are there women’s teams?
Yes. A women’s competition was added in 2008, and every tournament since 2010 has included both.
Conclusion
The Homeless World Cup takes the logic of street football, small pitches, short games and open access, and uses it to give players visibility and a reason to change direction. Its rules are worth a look for anyone organising a street football tournament.