Though it has never come close to winning the World Cup in soccer, Mexico once again dominated the competition in the Homeless World Cup 2024, capturing both the women’s and men’s titles over the weekend in Seoul, South Korea.
In the women’s final, Mexico used an awesome second half to turn a 1-1 halftime tie into an easy 5-2 victory over Romania for its unprecedented ninth title overall — and eighth in a row.
In the men’s final, Mexico scored with 30 seconds remaining to beat England 6-5 for its fifth title overall, and third in the last four tournaments.
Founded in 2002 in Scotland, the Homeless World Cup is an annual weeklong competition that uses soccer to promote a sense of belonging among unhoused people and raise awareness about homelessness.
Teams are made up of 16-and-older players of any ability level who have been unhoused within the past year, though there are no strict eligibility criteria. However, players can represent their nation only once.
This year’s tournament included 36 men’s teams, 16 women’s teams and more than 400 players from 38 countries. For the first time, it was organized under the auspices of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
Games are played on a mini field, and each eight-person squad has three players plus a goalkeeper in action at any given time. Games are short — two seven-minute halves — and rolling substitutions are allowed.
Rules modifications emphasize fair play and the personal development of participants over winning at all costs.
Mexico City hosted the tournament in 2012 and in 2018 at the Zócalo in the heart of the city. Last year’s tournament was held in Sacramento, California, following cancellations from 2020-22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament inspired the recently released British drama “The Beautiful Game,” starring Bill Nighy as the England team’s head coach, available on Netflix. The trailer can be seen here.
There is also a documentary narrated by actor Colin Farrell, “Kicking It,” about the 2006 tournament in South Africa, and the South Korean movie “Dream,” a 2023 comedy-drama inspired by the tournament (available on Netflix with English or Spanish subtitles).
Overall, there were eight days of soccer in the Korean capital. FIFA’s backing included organizational support, equipment, free games online and trophies branded with “FIFA.”
“We are committed to ending homelessness by using soccer, and to have FIFA in our corner will only help us grow our reach and therefore our impact,” Homeless World Cup founder and president Mel Young told Korea JoongAng Daily. “We want to have Homeless World Cup member countries in more nations across the world — ultimately creating a bigger network and therefore helping more people change their lives.”
On Saturday, the Mexican women’s players, who had earlier in the day won their championship game, ran onto the field waving Mexican flags after the men beat England in a game that seemed destined for penalty kicks. In the final minute, Alan Posada Salas of Mexico deflected a shot into the net for a thriller of a win compared to Mexico’s 7-1 rout of England in the group stage.
““It’s a special feeling to win the match, but to also score the winning goal made it even more special,” Posada said. “I want to give a special mention to everyone back home in Aguascalientes. My mom, my dad and my brother and my girlfriend, who have always been there supporting me. I love them all.”
After the women’s final, Mexico captain Denis Chavarria Garrido said, “It was a very intense match. Romania played very well, but we got the win and now we are champions. Viva Mexico!”
The Mexican teams were sponsored by Street Soccer México AC in collaboration with the Telmex Foundation.
With reports from Excelsior, Proceso and La Jornada
