Homeless World Cup

The Homeless World Cup is an annual, international street soccer tournament, uniting teams of people who are homeless and excluded to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent their country and change their lives forever. It has inspired and continues to support soccer projects around the world working with homeless and marginalised people.

The first Homeless World Cup was in Graz, Austria in 2003. Since then Gothenburg, Edinburgh, Cape Town and Copenhagen have played host to the tournament. Having participated with our Street Socceroos since the 2005 tournament in Edinburgh, The Big Issue put in a successful bid to host the 2008 Homeless World Cup in Melbourne.

Make sure you come to this fantastic free community event.

To read FAQs about the Homeless World Cup click here.

Visit the Homeless World Cup website.

Federation Square and Birrarung Marr, Melbourne

1 – 7 December 2008

Melbourne will host the sixth Homeless Word Cup and will welcome teams from over 50 nations worldwide.

Players will come together in the spirit of sport and community to represent their countries, entertain the crowds and demonstrate the power of sport as a means of social inclusion.

Contact Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup

Volunteer

Be part of the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup.

To deliver a world-class event we require the assistance of long-term and event time volunteers.

Volunteers will be an essential part of the event team that will bring the Melbourne CBD to life this December with over 500 athletes competing in a jam-packed schedule of more than 400 fast-paced street football matches on custom-built pitches in Federation Square and Birrarung Marr. Come and join us!

Find out more: Volunteer

Adopt a team

Get your school involved with the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup and learn about another culture.

The Adopt a Team program is an opportunity to enrich the learning of thousands of Australian school students by linking them to the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup and making it possible for some disadvantaged nations to participate.

Within a structure provided by the Education Foundation Australia, and supported by the Homeless World Cup, school communities will be invited to adopt a team participating in the Homeless World Cup.

Find out more: Adopt a Team

Partner or Sponsor

We have been fortunate in developing some great partnerships in the process of raising money and support for the event.

To receive more information on partner and sponsorship opportunities, contact Steven Persson: steven@bigissue.org.au.