World Refugee Day: Supporting displaced children and youth through football

From Jordan to Ukraine, from Palestine to Germany and Ireland, the UEFA Foundation for Children is using the power of football to restore what conflict often takes away – safety, belonging and the simple right to play.

In the Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan, Syrian children shout, laugh and play football. For a while, the rows of shelters around them fade into the background.

Creating those moments has been at the heart of the UEFA Foundation for Children's work for the past decade. Through football, the Foundation and its partners support children whose lives have been disrupted by war, persecution and displacement, providing safe spaces to play, learn and connect.

Since 2015, the Foundation has supported 765 projects in 156 countries, reaching more than 4.9 million children. Today, 166 active initiatives continue that work. The numbers are striking. But behind each one is a child who simply needed somewhere safe to play.

On World Refugee Day, we shine a spotlight on the inspiring work being carried out across the globe by some of the Foundation's incredible partners and NGOs.

Zaatari, Jordan - A camp becomes a community

Zaatari was the Foundation's first flagship project, and it remains one of its most emblematic. The camp is home to thousands of Syrians displaced by civil war, and for children who were born there or arrived when they were very young, it is all they have known.

AFDP Global, the Foundation's partner on the ground, set about changing what that world felt like. Weekly sessions in football, judo, Zumba and table tennis gave children a reason to show up, a team to belong to and a coach to trust, with residents of the camp running the programme.

The goal was never just sport. It was to create the conditions in which a child might feel, even briefly, like a child.

Scoring Girls, Germany - A pitch is the classroom

Thousands of miles north, in the streets of Cologne and Berlin, another kind of integration is taking shape, one training session at a time.

SCORING GIRLS Bildung was founded in 2016 by Tuğba Tekkal, a former Bundesliga player who grew up between two cultures and understood instinctively what football could do for girls who were navigating the same divide.

Her programme targets refugee and disadvantaged girls, using the sport not just to get them moving, but to build the self-confidence, intercultural awareness and sense of responsibility that life in a new country demands.

Spirit of Soccer, Ukraine - Football against fear

In a country where air raid sirens have become part of everyday life, Spirit of Soccer is doing something remarkable. Its coaches travel into conflict-affected regions of Ukraine, such as Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Dnipro, and run football sessions where, woven into the games and drills, children also learn how to recognise and stay away from unexploded bombs and landmines.

The lessons are potentially lifesaving, but just as important is the chance to play. For an hour or two, children can focus on football, spend time with friends and enjoy the simple routine of being part of a team.

SARI, Ireland - Building belonging

Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) was established in 1997 in response to a rise in racist attacks across the country. Nearly 30 years on, SARI has become one of Ireland's leading organisations for integration through sport, reaching more than 8,500 children and young adults through football.

Their programmes feature regular training sessions, school sports days and integration festivals. One of those festivals takes place every year on World Refugee Day, run in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

For many participants, football is a way to meet people and feel part of their new community. Children who may have arrived in Ireland knowing nobody, speaking little English or carrying difficult experiences can step onto a pitch and immediately share something in common with those around them.

Sport for Life, Palestine - Starting over

In the West Bank, in the refugee camps of Tulkarm and Nur Shams, a new initiative launched in April 2025 is using sport for development to reach displaced children caught in cycles of trauma and upheaval.

Delivered by Sport for Life, the programme focuses particularly on girls, creating opportunities to build confidence, develop leadership skills and express themselves in a safe and supportive environment.

The project is still in its early stages, but it is already creating opportunities for children to come together, stay active and reconnect with their peers.

Türkiye and Syria - Changing the rules

In Türkiye, two UEFA Foundation partners – Kızlar Sahada (Girls on the Field) and Bonyan – are helping refugee and local communities come together through sport.

In Şanlıurfa, close to the Syrian border, Kızlar Sahada's RePlay Project provides free football sessions for boys and girls. But its work extends well beyond the pitch. The organisation works closely with families, schools and local authorities to create opportunities for girls to take part in sport and be active in their communities.

Bonyan takes a similarly holistic approach, combining football with life skills and environmental education. By bringing together young people from Syrian refugee and Turkish host communities, the programme creates opportunities to learn, play and build friendships across different backgrounds.

Young representatives from both organisations attended the 2026 UEFA Europa League final in Istanbul as special guests. Their presence was a reminder that the game belongs to everyone.

South Sudan and Tajikistan - Where football crosses borders

The Cross Cultures Project Association works in South Sudan, where decades of war have fractured communities along ethnic lines. Their Open Fun Football Schools now reach 3,600 children a week, who play together in an environment deliberately designed to feel safe and joyful.

In Tajikistan, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Tajikistan Football Federation build and refurbish pitches along some of the world's most contested borders. Cross-border tournaments give children from neighbouring communities the chance to meet each other and play together.

Elsewhere, the Foundation's reach extends further still. Organisation Earth brings football into refugee camps in Greece, Oltalom Sport Association uses weekly training to build community among migrants in Budapest, Spirit of Football in Leipzig runs workshops that blend the game with anti-racism education, and Legacy for the Future champions leadership for women and girls across Europe.

Emergency funding - When crisis comes

Long-term programmes are at the heart of the UEFA Foundation's work, but it also responds quickly when crises unfold.

When the conflict between Ukraine and Russia escalated in 2022, the Foundation mobilised €1 million within weeks to support displaced families. More recently, as the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsened, emergency funding was directed to organisations including Médecins du Monde and Handicap International, helping ensure support reached children as quickly as possible.

The same game, everywhere

What links all of these projects – from Zaatari to Cologne, Dnipro to Tulkarm, and South Sudan to the Tajik border – is something very simple: children playing football.

The settings may be very different, but the experience is often the same – a chance to make friends, learn new skills and enjoy a moment of normality despite conflict, displacement and uncertainty. Those moments may seem small, but their impact can last far beyond the final whistle.

That is why this work matters. On World Refugee Day, we celebrate the organisations, coaches and communities creating those opportunities for children, helping them find joy, healing, resilience and connection through the game.

11 years of impact

Since 2015, the UEFA Foundation for Children has used football as a tool for positive change.

In its first decade, the UEFA Foundation supported 765 projects in 156 countries, improving the lives of more than 4.9 million children. Today, 166 initiatives continue to use the power of sport to promote education, health, inclusion and personal development, creating safe environments and helping children build confidence and life skills.