The Story of the SCWC '26
The Story of Day 7
There were no official football matches on Day 7, but there was still plenty happening across the complex. Team Leaders and young leaders spent the morning preparing for the General Assembly before socialising and enjoying a few improvised games of football.
The group stages are officially over, with the next official matches coming during the finals, but it was still a very important one for the young people and Team Leaders.
The morning was spent in sessions preparing for the General Assembly, which is one of the most important parts of the Street Child World Cup. The football brings everyone together, but the General Assembly is where the young people have the chance to speak about the issues that matter to them, and to share the messages they want the world to hear.
Team Leaders and young leaders worked together with our young teams throughout the morning to help them prepare for the general assembly on Thursday, before sending them to make the most of the glorious sunshine.
Time together
By the afternoon, as the heat settled over the complex, the young people had some time to relax and enjoy being together.
After a week of busy days and competitive matches, it was good to see them have a little more room simply to be together. Some were in the pool, others were playing around the complex, and others were sitting with the friends they have made during the tournament, with no fixture or session to hurry towards.
Those quieter parts of the tournament are easy to miss, because they do not happen on a pitch or in a formal session, but they are an important part of the week as well.
Still playing
As the day cooled down in the evening, football began to appear again anyway.
There were no fixtures, no referees and no official results, but small games started to break out around the complex. Shoes became goalposts, teams formed and changed, and the young people played in the way football is played in streets and playgrounds all over the world.
After several days of matches, and with no official football scheduled, it would have been understandable if everyone wanted a complete break from the ball. Instead, given a free evening, so many of them still wanted to play.
Tomorrow, there will be an important meeting at the British Embassy in Mexico City. There are also now only two days left until the final stage of the football and the General Assembly, so the tournament is moving quickly towards its final days.
