Champions League final: helping children take centre stage with Paris and Inter
Vulnerable young people from the UEFA Foundation for Children’s partner organisations will have their moments in the spotlight when the UEFA Champions League final kicks off on Saturday in Munich.
The Champions League final is a career-defining moment for many players, but also an occasion that UEFA seeks to make a truly memorable, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans.
That’s the principle behind the UEFA Foundation for Children’s activities at our club competition finals. The Foundation has already provided hundreds of vulnerable children unforgettable occasions at this year’s Europa League, Women’s Champions League, and Conference League finals, and is set to do the same for this weekend’s showpiece.
Giving vulnerable children their chance to shine
The day before the match, 30 local children from Háwar and Girls4Football will visit the iconic Munich Football Arena for an exclusive chance to meet the stars from Paris and Inter. At the fan festival, meanwhile, 18 kids from Stiftung Ambulantes Kinderhospiz München children’s hospice are being invited to play in a football match with football legends.
On matchday, 10 lucky youngsters from Girls4Football will experience walking out under the lights of a Champions League final as player mascots, and three from Háwar will do the same as referee mascots. A further 50 local children have been given tickets to watch the match, in partnership with Sport dans la Ville and Rêves, while the two finalists’ own foundations – Paris Saint-Germain Foundation and Inter Campus – are each giving a child they work with an opportunity to meet the players before kick-off.
The initiatives build on the UEFA Foundation’s work with local associations in Munich during UEFA EURO 2024, which aimed to empower underprivileged children.
The final will be an extra-special night for one of the children from Girls4Football. Joining the UEFA president, Aleksander Čeferin, to hand out the medals on the pitch is Laura, from the Asociación Alacrán 1997 – one of the partner organisations of the Girls4Football – which uses football as a tool for social transformation and the development of children and young adults.
Laura has a deep passion for football, living the game with incredible enthusiasm and dedication. She has taken on the role of captain for her age group, demonstrating natural leadership and teamwork.
About Háwar
Project partner
Háwar is a human-rights organisation operating in Afghanistan, Germany, and Iraq, alongside international awareness-raising initiatives. Through its SCORING GIRLS programme, it offers young girls from refugee, migrant and socially disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to play team sport and provides educational and career guidance.
Set up in 2016 by former professional footballer and Frauen-Bundesliga player Tuğba Tekkal, the initiative aims to leverage football as a springboard for integration and empowerment, especially important in Germany’s culturally diverse cities. To date, the UEFA Foundation has supported Hawar’s SCORING GIRLS initiative with €266,000.
About Girls4Football
Project Partner
Girls4Football is a social impact initiative launched by Mastercard, a long-term sponsor of the Champions League, in partnership with the UEFA Foundation. It provides inclusive, empowering opportunities for young girls through sport, particularly football, recognising it as a powerful vehicle for personal development, social inclusion and gender equality.
Launched in March of this year, the three-year project is being rolled out in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, working with partner organisations in each of the five countries. It aims to reach more than 1,000 girls aged eight to 16 in its first 12 months.