As World Cup kick-off nears, a reminder of the power of sport to build bridges and break barriers

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The 2026 World Cup final will take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, a few miles away from UN Headquarters where, on Wednesday, elite athletes and sports administrators spoke about the power of football and other international sports to change the world for the better.

Elite footballers will make the headlines this summer, but sport can have a transformative effect in every society, connecting communities across borders and generations, and creating spaces for dialogue, solidarity, and mutual respect.

In just over two months, the world’s biggest sporting tournament will get underway in Mexico City and, as usual, billions of people worldwide are expected to tune in.

From 11 June to 19 July, the World Cup will pit 48 national football (or, if you’re based in the US, “soccer”) teams against each other over 104 games to be played out in Mexico, Canada and the US.

© UNICEF/Gabriel Mmina/Elephant

In each of the host city regions, across the three countries, a programme called Play Collective will provide funding and support for community sport organisations, creating safe spaces for underserved youth. 

The project is a joint initiative of the Adidas Foundation, the Beyond Sport foundation and Common Goal, a global non-profit which has built a worldwide network of community-based organizations that serves 3.6 million youth each year.

Make space for one another

United Nations

Mary Connor (2nd left) and Nawal El Moutawakal speaking at UN Headquarters

Common Goal’s Executive Director, Mary Connor, was one of the key speakers at Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers, an event held to mark the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, which takes place each year on 6 April to highlight the transformative power of sport in driving social change, advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and bringing together people and communities from around the world.

Ms. Connor drew parallels between football, where supporting teammates is central to success, and the work of the United Nations, a place where, she said, “we come together across differences, across cultures that keep us isolated” and “make space for one another to find a way through, against a lot of headwinds.”

Nawal El Moutawakel, pioneering Olympian

In two years, the United States is set to play host to another huge sporting jamboree, the 2028 Summer Olympics, which will be based in Los Angeles.

Pioneering athlete Nawal El Moutawakel was one of the stars of the last Olympics to be held in LA. At the 1984 Games, she became the first Moroccan, African, Arab, and Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold medal (for the 400 metre hurdles).

Her Olympic triumph is seen as a turning point, giving Moroccan women confidence and the courage to pursue sports, which had previously been considered a male domain.

She has received numerous international honours for her contributions to sport and social progress and is currently Vice President of the International Olympic Committee.

© UNICEF/Tsiory Andriantsoarana

Jumping the hurdles of life

Speaking at Wednesday’s event, Ms. El Moutawakel likened her discipline to the struggles she faced in her early sporting career. 

“My race was the 400 hurdles, a race where there is a start and a finish, and in between there are 10 hurdles. And for me, they were the hurdles of life that teach you discipline, coordination, determination, passion. Sometimes you experience failures, but I never gave up.”

Today, she said, the fact that, for the first time in 100 years, the IOC President is a woman (Kirsty Coventry is also the first African to hold the office), and that women make up 50 per cent of the organisation at all levels, points to the progress that is being made.

Ms. El Moutawakel and Ms. Connor were joined by several prominent youth athletes, who described the positive influence that sport has had on their lives. 

They included Ailyn Lopez, who overcame mental health issues through football, and is now a young leader with Street Child United, an organisation that uses sport to support young people living on the streets or in extreme poverty.

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

• Due to its vast reach, unparalleled popularity and foundation of positive values, sport is ideally positioned to contribute towards the United Nations’ objectives for development and peace.
• To raise awareness of this potential, 6 April was declared as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) by the UN General Assembly.
• The adoption of this Day signifies the increasing recognition by the UN of the positive influence that sport can have on the advancement of human rights, and social and economic development.
• Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers took place at UN Headquarters on 1 April. Watch a recording of the event on UN WebTV..