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Katowice Internationals World Cup 2023 - Everything Now
Under the unifying impact of football, individuals from various nationalities living in Poland came together in Katowice to enthusiastically celebrate sports and brotherhood.
This is the fifth edition of the Katowice Internationals World Cup, which aimed to foster cultural awareness between nations, raising consciousness about diversity and promote mutual understanding based on football tournament. Katowice Internationals World Cup 2023 took place on July 22nd – 23rd, at the outdoor pitch located in front of the Stadion Śląski at Silesian Park.
Around 30 volunteers, 300 players from 24+ different nationalities came from the Silesian region, mostly from Katowice and Krakow to share the same values of brotherhood, passion for sport and diversity inclusion. The 2023 motto is "Everything Now", just like 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The tournament consists of 6-person football teams and the teams represent the countries of the players. A total of 24 football teams participated this year and the teams were divided into 4 groups as 6 each.
The Top 4 teams in the groups qualified for the next round (1/16 finals) and played the final stage on the second day of the tournament. The semi-finals had faced the best 4 teams: Morocco, Ukraine, Egypt and Nigeria. In the final, Egypt made it against Morocco (3-1). The tournament ended with the Egypt raising the Cup, Morocco taking the silver and Ukraine the bronze.
The teams participating in the tournament and their continents:
Europe (6): Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Portugal, Spain, Turkey
Africa (7): Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan
America (7): Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Peru
Asia (4): Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Yemen
We used platforms like Facebook and Instagram to show how our tournament made a difference. We created interesting videos, talked to players and volunteers, and shared everything on social media, reaching people all over the world. Check the official video here: youtu.be/oef-mgJCS9Y
Our project was all about including everyone and helping people understand each other. The tournament brought together players from different backgrounds, and they became friends while breaking down barriers. Our work matched what the group wanted by using pictures and videos to tell more people about things, and using sports to make peace and help things grow better.
More details on Katowice Internationals Foundation social media channels and YouTube page:
Marco Cillepi
Poland, Katowice, 28th August 2023
