By Anne-Marie Olczak

Team Canada

August 25-29, 2025.  Oslo, Norway.  For the first time since 2014, Canada would be sending a team to the Homeless World Cup. The Canadian Street Soccer association made participation in this tournament a goal when it was founded in 2024.  Using the power of football to foster positive change in the lives of people affected by social exclusion, homelessness, or poverty. 

Finding Team Canada started with a soccer tournament in June, 2025. Teams representing the four regions that are part of the CSSA: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario & Quebec, made their way to Mississauga for a day of soccer and sunshine.  From this tournament a team of 8 players was chosen.  Chosen not only for their participation in the Street Soccer program and formidable soccer skills,  but also because these are people at a time of positive transformation in their lives.

Six men and two women would be making the journey to Norway.  Representing Ontario:  Abas, Emma, Imraan, May, and Murad. And from Quebec, known as “The French Connection”:  Fabrice, Daniel and Cesar. Coaches Ashley from Alberta, and Grant from Vancouver Island,  carried the  mantle for the West.  Canada was well represented.  Together, with a team of dedicated volunteers, some clever fundraising and generous sponsorship, it was time to get ready for Oslo.

Celebration

The Homeless World Cup started officially with a Parade of Nations through the centre of the city of Oslo. The parade was filled with joy and pride and celebration as teams from 48 nations, accompanied by marching bands, made their way through town. Our Team Canada was led by Coach Ashley’s “CanaWhat?  Canada!” chant!   Shoppers on Karl Johans Gate pause to ask questions and join in the fun, applauding and cheering players as they passed. 

The Game

Street soccer is a fast game. It is played on a small pitch with boards like a rink and a smaller net than in traditional football. The game is fast, and runs only 14 minutes. The Canadian contingent had yet to play a match together as a team, but connections amongst players were already forming.  With every 14-minute match, the Canadian players were more confident. They were learning each other’s strengths and discovering how to be a team in this smaller, faster version of the game these players all grew up with. After their first big win, the celebration said it all: smiles and relief, knowing that each game brings more skills.   With street soccer, everyone wins.  As Grant Shilling says “if you’re playing,  you’re winning.”   The sentiment of this echoed by the fact that at the end of every match, both teams join hands and run together in celebration: leaving any tension from the match on the field. The true victory is the play. The spirit of sportsmanship is strong.

Camaraderie

As the week progressed, the stands at Radhusplassen (Oslo City Hall)  filled with more and more fans. People from around the world shouted encouragement for whichever team happened to be playing. For everyone, the sense of belonging to something much bigger was contagious.

Camaraderie among the athletes from the different countries deepened. Everywhere you turned, hugs, high-fives, and warm greetings crossed languages and cultures. Players gathered to watch other nations compete, shouting support from the sidelines. Each night, impromptu dance parties erupted outside the food hall: Irish, English, Nigerian jerseys spinning in the golden Oslo sunset.

Ultimately this is a football tournament and a winner has to be decided..  Each team plays to the last day, competing for one of five tiers of Championship.  Tier one is the The Homeless World Cup  Champion and this year’s winner was Egypt claiming the Men’s title and Uganda the Women’s title. The Canadian team showed great promise, with a very respectable finish.

The truth is, every player leaves victorious.  They carry home a new sense of self, of joy, of pride. Many return to their communities and continue the work of Street Soccer — as players, mentors, coaches, referees. A powerful new confidence can be seen in every step they take.

This tournament changes everyone who experiences it. The ripple effect is real, and it is wonderful…It’s joy. It’s football.