Photo taken on May 19, 2026 shows a general view of the special event to celebrate World Football Day at the UN headquarters in New York. The UN General Assembly on Tuesday hosted a special event to celebrate World Football Day, which falls on May 25. In May 2024, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution proclaiming May 25 as World Football Day, to mark the 100th anniversary of the first international football tournament in history with the representation of all regions, which took place on May 25, 1924. (Xinhua/Xie E)
UNITED NATIONS, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly on Tuesday hosted a special event to celebrate World Football Day, which falls on May 25, calling for uniting cultures, empowering youth, and advancing global solidarity.
"My message today actually is very very simple: football is about happiness, it is about hope, and it is about unity," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the event, co-organized by Bahrain, Libya, and Tajikistan with support from Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, and Rwanda.
"Our world is going through a complicated time, a difficult time, and sometimes in difficult times, we need an excuse, an excuse to unite, an excuse to bring people together. And I hope with the help of all of you here in the United Nations, I hope we can use this World Cup to really unite the world," he said.
"Football unites the world, but we have to unite the world in happiness, in joy, in a World Cup," said the FIFA president.
"So let's make this World Cup that starts in a few weeks a moment of unity, a moment of happiness, and a moment of hope for the future," Infantino said.
In her remarks, UNGA President Annalena Baerbock said "football shows us not only what fairness can look like, but it also reminds us how much more work we can do if we do it together, not only with regard to gender, but in general terms on inequality."
"If football unites us, it is in our own interest to do everything to counter what divides us in daily life, including standing up for the rules that make the game possible in the first place," she said.
Noting that without rules, there would be no football, Baerbock stressed that the same holds true at the United Nations -- "built on simple rules like in football, and the understanding that everyone has to play by the rules -- no matter how big or small, how powerful, or rich -- otherwise there would be no unity, no peace, and not even football."
The celebration, which underscored football's contribution to peace, youth empowerment, social inclusion, and the values of the UN Charter and the 2030 Agenda, was followed by a mini-football tournament on the North Lawn at the UN headquarters.
In May 2024, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution proclaiming May 25 as World Football Day, to mark the 100th anniversary of the first international football tournament in history with the representation of all regions, which took place on May 25, 1924. ■
Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, speaks at a special event to celebrate World Football Day at the UN headquarters in New York, May 19, 2026. The UN General Assembly on Tuesday hosted a special event to celebrate World Football Day, which falls on May 25. In May 2024, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution proclaiming May 25 as World Football Day, to mark the 100th anniversary of the first international football tournament in history with the representation of all regions, which took place on May 25, 1924. (Xinhua/Xie E)
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at a special event to celebrate World Football Day at the UN headquarters in New York, May 19, 2026. The UN General Assembly on Tuesday hosted a special event to celebrate World Football Day, which falls on May 25. In May 2024, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution proclaiming May 25 as World Football Day, to mark the 100th anniversary of the first international football tournament in history with the representation of all regions, which took place on May 25, 1924. (Xinhua/Xie E)
