US hosts first Homeless World Cup in Sacramento.

Sacramento Hosts 18th Homeless World Cup Games

Sacramento, California, was buzzing with excitement as it hosted the 18th Homeless World Cup games on Saturday. This year’s games featured 30 countries, with a total of 40 teams competing. Among these teams, 28 were men’s teams and 12 were women’s teams, all composed of players who have experienced homelessness within the past two years. Notably, this marks the 20th anniversary of the games and the first time the United States has had the honor of hosting.

A Global Celebration of Soccer and Hope

The winners of the Homeless World Cup games will be crowned on July 15, just days before the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand. The victorious team will proudly lift a trophy that has been claimed in back-to-back tournaments by Mexico, the previous host country. The games in Mexico drew an impressive 160,000 spectators, showcasing the immense popularity and impact of this event.

“Soccer is a universal language — so is the language of hope, dignity, and possibility,”

– Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg

During the opening ceremonies, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg expressed the profound significance of the Homeless World Cup games. He emphasized that soccer serves as a universal language, just like the language of hope, dignity, and possibility. Mayor Steinberg highlighted the importance of not giving up on individuals facing hardships, emphasizing that being part of a team means never struggling alone.

Meanwhile, Sacramento itself has been grappling with its own challenges regarding homelessness. According to the city’s point in time report, there were over 9,homeless-world-cup-hosted-in-us-kicks-off-in-sacramento/” title=”US hosts first Homeless World Cup in Sacramento.”>200 people experiencing homelessness county-wide in 2022, marking a staggering 67% increase from 2019. The report also revealed that a majority of 60% had been homeless for over three years. One possible contributing factor cited in the report was a significant 20% rise in rents from March 2020 to November 2021.

As the Homeless World Cup games captivate audiences and unite nations, they also shed light on the urgent need to address homelessness in Sacramento and beyond. Through the power of soccer and the collective efforts of communities, we can strive to create a world where everyone has a place to call home.

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