The Street Child World Cup
Held in each World Cup host country before the tournament, the Street Child World Cup brings street-connected children together for football, art and rights.
Before every FIFA World Cup since 2010, another tournament has been played in the host country. Its players are children who have lived on the streets. The Street Child World Cup combines football with an arts festival and a congress where the children speak about their rights, and it shares a great deal with the streetfootballworld festival 06 that preceded it.
Durban 2010: the first edition
The first Street Child World Cup was held in Durban, South Africa, from 12 to 22 March 2010. It was initiated by the UK human rights charity the Amos Trust and hosted by Umthombo Street Children and the Durban University of Technology. The main sponsor was Deloitte.
Teams of street children and former street children came from Brazil, South Africa, Nicaragua, Ukraine, India, the Philippines and Tanzania, each brought by a local organisation, plus a representative team from Manchester, UK. The players were 14 to 16 years old, and all had lived full-time on the streets without family. Each squad of nine players included three girls.
They played a seven-a-side tournament. India beat Tanzania in the final, the Philippines won the Shield, and Ukraine won the Fair Play award.
More than a tournament
Football was only one part of the event:
- The children created artworks, later exhibited at the Durban Art Gallery and the Foundling Museum in London.
- A youth conference produced The Durban Declaration, published in November 2010, which sets out street children’s right to be heard, to a home, to protection from violence, and to health and education.
- Girls who took part wrote a Street Girl’s Manifesto, published in Plan International’s 2010 “Because I am a Girl” report.
The editions since
| Edition | Where | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Rio de Janeiro | 230 street-connected children from 19 countries, with Save the Children. First separate girls’ tournament: Brazil beat the Philippines 1–0. Boys: Tanzania beat Burundi 3–1 |
| 2018 | Moscow, 10–18 May | Over 200 young people from 19 countries. Brazil (girls) and Uzbekistan (boys) won. Supporters included Gilberto Silva, Khalida Popal, Ryan Giggs, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer |
| 2022 | Oxygen Park, Doha | Ten-day event with a Congress and General Assembly; launch of the “One Million and One” campaign for legal identity documents. Brazil (girls) and Egypt (boys, on penalties against Pakistan) won |
The organisation behind the event is now known as Street Child United. A 2026 edition was planned for Mexico, one of the hosts of the 2026 World Cup. As of the 2022 edition there were 15 boys’ teams and 13 girls’ teams.
Why it matters
Like the Homeless World Cup, the Street Child World Cup uses football’s visibility to make a group of people visible who are usually ignored. The legal-identity campaign launched in Doha shows how concrete that can be: a child without papers cannot go to school, see a doctor or travel to a football tournament. The Ghana and Nigeria teams that were refused visas for Festival 06 in 2006 faced a version of the same problem.
In 2023 the documentary I am Somebody, directed by Jamillah van der Hulst, was shown at the Cambridge Film Festival to draw attention to the situation of street children.
FAQ
When was the first Street Child World Cup?
In Durban, South Africa, from 12 to 22 March 2010, before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Who can play?
Street-connected children. In 2010, players were aged 14 to 16 and had all lived on the streets without family.
Who started it?
The UK human rights charity Amos Trust.
Are there girls’ teams?
Yes. In 2010 every squad included three girls, and since 2014 there has been a separate girls’ tournament.
Conclusion
The Street Child World Cup turns the month before the World Cup into a platform for children’s rights. Explore more street football competitions, or read about the 2010 World Cup’s legacy in South Africa.