Cape Town players selected for Homeless World Cup

Eight players have been selected to represent South Africa at the Homeless World Cup in Mexico in January 2027, following a series of soccer trials in Cape Town involving people with experience of homelessness and rough sleeping.

It follows the City of Cape Town’s announcement earlier today that it is strengthening its partnership with Oasis Reach For Your Dreams through the Homeless World Cup programme, with sport forming part of a broader approach to supporting participants on their path towards reintegration.

The selection process began on 27 August, when nearly 60 players took part in the first round of trials. Twenty-two advanced to the second stage, held last week at Oasis Business Park, where the final group was selected.

Eight players, one journey to Mexico

Picture: CoCT/Facebook

The programme has been coordinated in Cape Town by Oasis Reach For Your Dreams for several years, providing people who have experienced homelessness with opportunities to participate in soccer at both local and international levels.

This year’s programme has a broader institutional focus, with the NGO working more closely with the City as part of Cape Town’s Strategy to Reduce Rough Sleeping and its participation in the Vanguard City Programme.

The players came from several shelters and organisations, including Oasis, MES and The Haven Night Shelters.

Participation also extended to MES programmes in the Eastern Cape and Johannesburg, bringing players from different parts of the country into the selection process.

The final eight will travel to Mexico for the international tournament, with the squad due to be formally announced on 13 October.

Councillor Francine Higham, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, said the strategy focuses on the circumstances that contribute to homelessness while creating opportunities for people to rebuild skills, relationships and confidence.

‘The strategy recognises that responding to homelessness requires more than providing temporary accommodation. Sustainable reintegration requires a person-centred approach that addresses the circumstances that contribute to homelessness while creating opportunities for people to rebuild confidence, relationships, skills and a sense of purpose,’ she highlighted.

Higham added:* ‘Sport can play an important role in this journey and the City is proud to support the Homeless World Cup.’*

The Homeless World Cup initiative is being linked to the City’s Vanguard Programme, which seeks collaborative interventions aimed at preventing homelessness where possible and making episodes of rough sleeping shorter and less likely to recur.

Oasis is part of Cape Town’s Vanguard Action Committee, bringing its experience of working directly with people experiencing homelessness into the City’s broader response.

The City said the partnership reflects the role of NGOs, shelters, communities, businesses and people with lived experience in addressing rough sleeping.

‘This collaboration is also an example of how the Strategy to Reduce Rough Sleeping can be translated into practical interventions. As local government, we cannot address the issue alone, and through partnerships with NGOs, shelters, communities, the private sector and people with lived experience, we can work together to reduce the number of rough sleepers,’ Higham said.

The immediate milestone for the selected players is the announcement of the final eight-member squad on 13 October, ahead of the Homeless World Cup in Mexico in January.

The upcoming squad announcement will confirm which eight players will carry the South African representation to Mexico, following a selection process that began with nearly 60 participants in Cape Town.

The Mexico City 2026 Homeless World Cup will be held 17 – 23 January 2027 at the iconic Zócalo Square in Mexico’s capital city, the same venue used for the 2012 and 2018 tournaments.

More info https://t.co/o3feDYJx0j pic.twitter.com/xCL2iCngbb

— Homeless World Cup (@homelesswrldcup) June 3, 2026

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Picture: City of Cape Town / Facebook

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