Sacramento, California, hosted the 18th Homeless World Cup games Saturday.
The games will feature 30 countries made up of 40 teams, 28 of which are men's teams and 12 women's, which are completely made up of players who have experienced homelessness in the last two years. It is the 20th anniversary since the games began and the first time the United States has hosted.
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Winners will be crowned on July 15, less than a week before the FIFA Women's World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand. The team will win a trophy that has currently been won in back-to-back tournaments by Mexico, which was also the last country to host. Some 160,000 spectators attended Mexico's games per the league.
“Soccer is a universal language — so is the language of hope, dignity, and possibility," Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said during the opening ceremonies. "We too often give up on people who are having a hard time — we want to show you if you’re part of a team, you’re not struggling alone."
It is a tremendous honor to host the @homelesswrldcup in the @TheCityofSac. Special shout out to @StreetSoccerUSA for all they do in our community. https://t.co/6afW5BTrUC pic.twitter.com/4pvz24BDwW
— @mayor_Steinberg (@Mayor_Steinberg) July 8, 2023
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Meanwhile, Sacramento has had its own issues surrounding homelessness. There were over 9,200 people experiencing homelessness county-wide in 2022, according to its point in time report. This was an increase of 67% from 2019. A 60% majority reported being homeless for over three years.
The report cited rents increasing by an average of 20% from March 2020 to November 2021 as a possible cause.