Return to Oslo for the 2025 Homeless World Cup
| Norway will host the Homeless World Cup for the second time in August 2025. Image: Mette Randem
Oslo announced as 2025 Homeless World Cup hosts
Norway’s capital will host the 20th edition of the tournament.
Second time as Homeless World Cup hosts for Oslo and Norway.
Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup will take place in August next year.
The Homeless World Cup Foundation announced on Thursday 11th July that the 2025 Homeless World Cup will be held in Oslo, Norway. It will be organised alongside our member country Norway, which is represented by The Salvation Army.
The tournament will be held at the iconic Rådhusplassen (City Hall Square) across eight days in August 2025. The exact dates for Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup will be announced later this year.
The global tournament made a hugely successful return last year with the Sacramento 2023 Homeless World Cup. Tournaments in 2020, 2021 and 2022 were cancelled due to the global pandemic. This year’s tournament is being held in Korea’s capital, Seoul in from 21st - 28th September.
The city of Oslo hosted the Homeless World Cup in 2017 and next year the tournament will again take place in the Norwegian capital, the first time the tournament has been held in Europe since the Cardiff 2019 Homeless World Cup.
The Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup will welcome 500 players from across the globe to compete for their country in a world class sporting spectacle which celebrates the power football has to change lives and shape attitudes towards the global issue of homelessness.
|“We are thrilled that Oslo will host the 2025 Homeless World Cup” Image: Mette Randem
Mel Young, HWCF President and co-founder, said: “We are thrilled with the news that Oslo will host the 2025 Homeless World Cup. It will be our second time in Norway, we can’t wait to get started and begin our preparations with the Local Organising Committee, our Member Country and partners in Oslo.
We are excited and encouraged to be able to announce next year’s Homeless World Cup host, before the 19th edition of our much-loved tournament takes place in Seoul later in the year. Being able to start work now on the Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup will allow us to ensure we are in the best possible position to keep up the wonderful momentum and sustained global interest in the tournament and the Homeless World Cup Foundation right now.
We are also engaged in advance discussions with a host city for the 2026 Homeless World Cup, which is an incredible position to be in and further confirms the tournament as a desirable proposition and permanent fixture in the major sporting event industry.”
The Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup will be hosted by The Salvation Army in Norway with the full backing and support of the government and the city of Oslo.
Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, Norwegian Minister of Finance, expressed his excitement about being a spectator next year’s tournament:
“We’re looking forward to next year’s celebration. We’ll cheer like crazy for the Norwegian men and women players representing their country – you’re fantastic! I hope we can sing the national anthem both at the opening ceremony and after the final.
It’s fantastic that Norway will be the host of the 2025 Homeless World Cup and that The Salvation Army in Norway is taking on this responsibility of being the host country. What’s so wonderful is that this is genuine sports joy. It’s about achievement, belonging, and that’s what sports joy is all about.”
|“Once again we will host the Homeless World Cup, and what a joy that is!” Image: Daniel Lipinski
Knut Haugsvær, The Salvation Army, Project Manager for the Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup, said about today’s announcement:
“Once again, we will host the Homeless World Cup, and what a joy that is! When we hosted the event previously it was a great success, and this time it will be even better. The hard work starts now, but volunteers are already knocking on the door, the venue is secured, budgets are approved and The Salvation Army in Norway is stepping up to ensure that all participants will receive a grand welcome when they arrive in Oslo!”
The 19th edition of the Homeless World Cup is taking place this year in Korea’s capital city, Seoul. The Seoul 2024 Homeless World Cup will see 49 nations and 64 teams compete across 8 days in September in a festival of football, friendship and culture between the very best homeless football players and teams from across the globe.
An estimated 100m people are homeless worldwide. As many as 1 billion people lack adequate housing. The characteristics and causes of homelessness around the world are complex and varied. Homeless people experience social exclusion and stigmatisation, economic hardship and poverty, and physical and mental health problems.
The Homeless World Cup exists to help end this global crisis in all its forms.
The Homeless World Cup Foundation was established in 2001 with the first Homeless World Cup taking place in Graz, Austria in 2003. The Foundation’s mission is to use football to support and inspire people who are homeless to change their own lives; and to change perceptions and attitudes towards people who are experiencing homelessness. For further information on the Homeless World Cup, please contact Matthew Williams (matthew@homelessworldcup.org +447789 722 561)
The Salvation Army in Norway has run a street football programme (Frelsesarmeens gatefotball) since first participating in the Homeless World Cup in Edinburgh in 2005. The programme targets women and men over 18 years old who face challenges related to substance abuse, homelessness, mental health disorders, social isolation, or other marginalizing factors in life. Our goal is to facilitate positive growth in participants’ lives through team sports, tournaments, and social gatherings.
In 2023, The Salvation Army’s street football programme provided training and tournaments in 23 municipalities, from Harstad in the north to Mandal in the south. During 2023, 1273 unique players participated in our training sessions/activities, including 226 women. A total of 1663 training sessions/gatherings were held. When combining all our training and events in 2023, The Salvation Army’s street football contributed to a total of 159,666 substance-free hours! In addition to street football, the Salvation Army in Norway also runs programmes in sailing, cycling and other activities. Internationally the Salvation Army is present in over 130 countries.
For further information on The Salvation Army: Benjamin Brekke-Nærstad, Benjamin.brekke@frelsesarmeen.no, +47 47 48 19 43