On May 26, the worldwide football community will unite for the inaugural World Football Giving Day, a coordinated effort to give back and inspire generosity across the sport. More than a hundred organisations from every corner of the globe have signed on to support the launch, and the campaign enjoys the backing of some of football's most recognizable figures, including Jurgen Klopp, Juan Mata, Vivianne Miedema, Dani Olmo, Irene Paredes, Jessie Fleming and Sofie Junge Pedersen.
Corporate partners such as adidas and the Right to Dream foundation are also involved, underscoring the broad appeal of the initiative. The concept behind World Football Giving Day is simple yet powerful: at a time when political and social divisions are deepening, and with the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, the sport can serve as a unifying force that encourages fans, players, clubs and sponsors to contribute financially to causes that matter. The day is driven by Common Goal, a charitable movement founded by Juan Mata in 2017 that asks football professionals to allocate one percent of their salaries to social projects.
Since its inception, more than 500 individuals have taken the pledge, collectively raising millions of dollars for a wide range of programmes worldwide. "Through my work with Common Goal, I’ve seen how collective action can empower communities and channel the passion of the game toward real social impact. World Football Giving Day builds on that same spirit, creating a moment where the whole football community can unite, not for wins on the pitch, but for the wellbeing of people off it. I am proud to support it," said Mata.
The sentiment is echoed by Mary Connor, chief executive of Common Goal, who believes the sport can either reflect the world’s fractures or actively shape a better future. "Football can mirror the world or it can choose to shape it," Connor told Sky Sports. "At Common Goal, we call ourselves the home of football for good because we choose the latter.
We choose to use it to shape it for positive outcomes, particularly for young people and communities." Connor stresses that the responsibility for change should not rest solely on elite athletes. In a recent interview she highlighted a worrying trend: many non‑profit organisations are experiencing a sharp decline in funding, with almost half reporting unstable financial situations. "We have to take action and we shouldn't leave that action to only the players. That's what World Football Giving Day is about – providing a moment when everyone who loves the game, everyone who's engaged in the game, which is billions, can do something," she explained.
Her own background as a former professional athlete and co‑founder of Soccer Without Borders gives her a personal perspective on football's capacity to bridge gaps. She recounted a vivid memory from Ninh Binh, Vietnam, where a simple purchase of a ball turned a quiet street into an impromptu match that attracted the whole town. "Football can challenge assumptions.
All of the qualities that would make me other or different fade away because now we're literally connected. We're literally playing together," she said, noting that similar moments of connection happen in taxis, markets and cafés worldwide when people discover a shared love for the sport.
Connor also pointed to concrete examples of football driving social change. In Nicaragua, where teenage pregnancy rates are among the highest in Latin America and many children do not complete primary school, organized girls' football programmes have begun to shift attitudes. "When girls play football, they take ownership of their bodies. When boys see girls playing football, they see them as peers rather than just potential partners.
It can literally change these things," she observed. Beyond gender equality, the Common Goal network leverages football to address a spectrum of challenges: coaches incorporate lessons on HIV/AIDS prevention, malaria awareness, mental health, gender‑based violence and climate action into training sessions. Connor is confident that for every global issue, there is at least one organisation that has found a way to use the sport as an educational and motivational tool. Even as digital connectivity increases, Connor warns that the world can feel more fragmented than ever.
Yet she believes football remains a rare universal language that transcends borders, cultures and skin colour. "We have a Football for Good organisation in Israel, in Palestine, in Eastern Europe, in Colombia. What else other than football reminds us that we are people first?
Above language, above culture, above skin colour, all of it, we are people with something in common," she affirmed. The timing of World Football Giving Day is strategic. It follows the United Nations' designation of May 25 as World Football Day and precedes the excitement of the upcoming World Cup, positioning the event as a potential annual tradition. Connor envisions the day growing each year, mobilising resources where they are most needed and fostering a sense of global solidarity.
"Our goal is for this to be the start of a tradition and to grow year on year to mobilise resources to where they're most needed. And for it to unify," she said.
Anyone interested in participating can visit the official website at www.worldfootballgivingday.org, where they can donate to any of the 100+ registered non‑profits or devise their own charitable initiative locally or internationally. The campaign also offers a promotional element: playing the Super 6 game gives participants a chance to win a £250,000 prize, adding an extra incentive for fans to get involved. In summary, World Football Giving Day aims to harness the collective passion of millions of football enthusiasts to generate tangible social impact. By linking the sport’s universal appeal with concrete charitable actions, the initiative hopes to demonstrate that the love of football can be a catalyst for positive change, proving that when the world comes together on the pitch, it can also come together off it.