The Homeless World Cup Foundation and FIFA signed a memorandum of understanding in Paris on 2 August. As part of number 6 of its Strategic Objective 2023-2027 for the Global Game, FIFA has committed to supporting the Homeless World Cup Foundation and its global tournament by providing material and equipment (medals, trophies, etc.) and by broadcasting the event on FIFA's streaming platform FIFA+.

The Homeless World Cup is an annual event that began in 2003 and harnesses the values and virtues of football to offer a unique experience to people in need, helping them to regain their self-confidence and make a fresh start.

Inside FIFA looks ahead to the 2024 edition of the competition, which will be held in Seoul, Korea Republic, and will be the first ever to be staged in Asia. The tournament kicks off on 21 September at Hanyang University in the capital, and we take a look at seven key points to help you get to grips with this unique event.

You can only take part in the Homeless World Cup once in your life. The Homeless World Cup has changed1.2 million homeless lives in a positive way since it was first held, harnessing the power of football. The Homeless World Cup Foundation helps and supports more than 100,000 people every year.

This one-time participation rule means that as many people as possible can benefit from this opportunity to start afresh. This aptly sums up the philosophy and strength of this tournament, which aims to make a real difference to the lives of those who participate.

The Homeless World Cup Foundation is not satisfied with simply organising its World Cup once a year, but operates all year round thanks to its global network of 70 member countries on every continent.

This collective effort and tireless work tackles the worldwide issue of integration, using football as its primary tool, as well as offering support for housing, mental health and vocational training.

There are two general categories. The Homeless World Cup brings together men's teams and teams made up of both male and female players, and the Women's Homeless World Cup which features teams made up exclusively of females.

The matches are played on a reduced-size pitch and last 15 minutes, with two seven-minute halves and a one-minute break in between. Matches never end in a draw. If the score is level, a sudden-death penalty shoot-out takes place. In this penalty shoot-out, the kick taker starts at the halfway line and moves towards the goal.

Each team has eight players, but no more than four per team can be on the pitch, with roll-on, roll-off substitutions.

The Homeless World Cup gives participants the opportunity to travel and learn about new cultures by visiting some of the most beautiful places in the world. The 18 previous editions of the tournament have seen it held under the Eiffel Tower in Paris (France), on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), in Cape Town (South Africa), Milan (Italy), Edinburgh (Scotland), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Melbourne (Australia) and Santiago (Chile). With the 19th edition taking place in Seoul in September.

To create situations where there are three outfield players against two, a striker must always be in the opposing half. This makes for dramatic encounters, packed with speed, action and goals.

The Sacramento 2023 Homeless World Cup was the most recent tournament, and saw 232 matches over eight days of competition and 2,276 goals scored. That's an average of almost 10 goals a game!

Mexico is the most successful country in the history of the men's tournament with four titles (2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019), followed by Chile, who have won three times (2012, 2014 and 2023), and Brazil (2010, 2013, 2017). Italy (2004, 2005) and Scotland (2007, 2011) round off the multi-winners' club with two wins each.

Mexico also lead the way in the women's category, and by a long way! La Tricolor have won eight trophies in 12 editions since 2008. Behind them, Chile, Kenya, Brazil and Zambia have each won once.

The Homeless World Cup has also inspired cinema, with a 2024 film based on its rich history released on Netflix. “The Beautiful Game” follows the adventure of the England team as they fly to Rome for the tournament.

The scriptwriters drew their inspiration from 100 or so real-life stories and experiences of the Homeless World Cup over the years. Many of the  non-speaking players involved in the film are former participants, whether as players, managers or coaches.