The Seoul 2024 Homeless World Cup, which will be held in Seoul for the first time in Asia, will be held at Hanyang University's Grand Stadium from the 21st to the 28th. The competition will be co-hosted by the Homeless World Cup Foundation and Big Issue Korea, and 52 teams (36 male and 16 female teams) from 38 countries around the world will participate.안전놀이터

The Homeless World Cup is an international competition in which people in the blind spot of residential rights play 4-4 futsal as national players, and aims to create a world where residential rights are guaranteed.

Seoul 2024 Homeless World Cup is the first competition to be recognized by FIFA, which gives great meaning to participants. The Korean national team participating in this competition is composed of eight players from various backgrounds, including young people preparing for self-reliance, teenagers living in social welfare facilities, the disabled, and refugee applicants.

The draw was held on Tuesday. Before the drawing ceremony, FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivered a congratulatory message. Infantino said, "The Homeless World Cup means more than just the number of goals and the medal of victory. Using the magic of soccer to change people's lives for the better. It shows that soccer has the incredible power to do good things. It is what our FIFA believes in," adding, "We are proud to be able to do our part in supporting the Homeless World Cup. We will use our voice to help the Homeless World Cup."

FIFA directly produced and supported trophies, medals, and official balls for the tournament, and supports live broadcasts of all games through the FIFA+ streaming service. Subsequently, Mel Young, chairman of the Homeless World Cup Foundation, Lee Keun-ho, chairman of the organizing committee of the tournament, and Shin Min-jeong, vice chairman of the organizing committee, participated in the draw.

South Korea, which ranks 25th in the Homeless World Cup ranking, has been placed in Group A. It was also in the same group as Mexico (1st), Bulgaria (4th), South Africa (12th), Switzerland (14th), France (21st), Germany (26th), and England, a new team that is participating as a wild card. It is the "Group of Death" where the top teams out of the 36 men's teams are concentrated.

A parade to announce the opening will be held at Hanyang University from 10:30 a.m. on the 21st. As an opening performance, artist Kirin will showcase the official theme of the competition, "PASS FOR HOME." The competition will begin in earnest with a celebration in which Oh Hyun-seok (55), a real person in the movie "Dream," and Moon Young-soo (65), a Big Issue salesman, will play the role of a poet and goalkeeper. At 11:30 a.m., the opening match between the host country, the Korean team and the German team, is held, which is expected to attract great attention from many people.

Various events will also be held during the Homeless World Cup. Vegan festivals are scheduled for the 21st and 22nd, and Soccer Market and Street Football Match are scheduled for the 27th and 28th. In addition, the Equal Market, which aims to consume value, will be held from the 23rd to the 26th, and from 10 p.m. on the 25th, the "House for All: International Conference to End Homelessness" aimed at improving laws and systems related to homelessness in Korea will be held at Hanyang University's HIT conference room. In the international context, a perspective for "Ending Homelessness in the City" will be discussed, and solutions to the problem will be discussed.

"It is very meaningful to hold the first Homeless World Cup in Asia in Seoul," said Ahn Byung-hoon, head of Team Korea of the organizing committee. "Through this competition, we will make efforts to publicize the problem of blind spots in residential areas where homeless conditions occur and to become a place of harmony and inclusion." He also stressed, "This competition will be a catalyst for changing perceptions and restoring the social safety net beyond simple sports events."

In addition to FIFA+, the Seoul 2024 Homeless World Cup will broadcast all games live in Korean through the Hogak app, and you can watch Korean team games and major games on TV and mobile through KT SkyLife, D-live, and Naver sports channels. Artist Lim Young-woong's fan club "Hero Generation" will recruit volunteers to participate as cheerleaders, and manage and operate volunteers during the competition at Hanyang University's Social Volunteer Corps, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's Education Volunteer Center, and the Seoul Volunteer Center.

The 2024 Homeless World Cup in Seoul, which is being prepared by the power of civil society, will be open to all citizens for free, and the game will be played from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the tournament. Each game is 15 minutes in total, including 7 minutes each for the first and second half and 1 minute for the break. The thrilling matches of the homeless players from all over the world, which are held in a square stadium blocked in all directions, will now begin. Through "Sponsoring" on the website of Big Issue Korea, a public interest corporation that co-hosts the event, you can participate in the tournament by supporting and participating in donations through small donations. The entire amount of sponsorship will be used for business expenses such as accommodation and food expenses for the team participating in the Homeless World Cup.