Football belongs to all of us
Since 2013, the Finnish Immigration Service and the Finnish Footballers’ Association have been using the world’s most popular sport to bring some excitement to the daily lives of asylum seekers in reception centers. The message “Football Belongs to Everyone” has been spread through a tour and the Reception Center Championship finals in collaboration with the Finnish Football Association.
Since 2023, the “Football Belongs to Everyone” tour has culminated in the Unity Euro Cup tournament organized by UEFA, where refugees from across Europe were able to enjoy the excitement of soccer. Each country’s team had to include both women and men, as well as refugees and native-born representatives. The Finnish team won the 2023 tournament held in Germany, bringing Finland its first victory in a competition under UEFA. Finland repeated its victory in the 2025 tournament held in the Netherlands.
2024: unity-euro-cup-kicks-off-in-switzerland
2025: https://jpy.fi/fi/uutiset/suomi-unity-euro-cupin-voittoon-quot-jalkapallo-kuuluu-kaikille-quot-
