There was more joy and excitement than usual inside the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Hall on Tuesday, 19 May, as ambassadors and officials wore their respective national team jerseys and local children played with a TRIONDA — the colourful Official Match Ball of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ — which had been tossed from the stage by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“This is not a ball. This is a magic object that transforms children, or adults, into happy children or happy adults,” Mr Infantino said as shouts and laughter filled the venerable hall. “As soon as you touch the ball, you start smiling. You start being happy. You start enjoying. You start playing.”

It was a fun, fitting and poignant moment during the United Nations’ (UN) annual World Football Day commemoration and celebration. In a room where there is frequently debate and sometimes division, the bouncing TRIONDA vividly demonstrated how quickly and emphatically football cuts through social, linguistic and cultural barriers and brings people together.

“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,” the FIFA President said.

“I hope, with the help of all of you here in the United Nations, I hope we can use this (FIFA) World Cup to really unite the world. We say it as our motto in FIFA: Football Unites the World.”

That spirit and ambition is what prompted the UN delegations from Bahrain, Libya and Tajikistan to propose the establishment of World Football Day back in 2024. The ensuing UN resolution was supported unanimously, and it is now observed on 25 May each year. According to the UN, football holds a “unique position” as a “universal language spoken by people of all ages, transcending national, cultural, and socio-economic boundaries.” Further, the game “serves as a catalyst for social inclusion, fostering unity and breaking down barriers between diverse communities”.

The Permanent Missions to the United Nations from Bahrain, Libya, and Tajikistan now co-chair the Group of Friends of Football, a coalition of UN members who have aligned with FIFA in promoting football’s unique ability to amplify the common bonds that transcend borders and politics. The three co-chairs are supported by the Permanent Missions from Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and Rwanda.

Adhering to Mr Infantino’s mission to grow the game and spread its benefits to all corners of the globe, FIFA in 2024 decided to expand the celebration to five days, creating World Football Week. It launched in 2025, kicking off on 21 May — the anniversary of FIFA’s 1904 founding — and running through World Football Day on 25 May. During World Football Week, FIFA spotlights programmes that leverage the game’s transformative power.

For this year’s celebration of World Football Week, among these programmes are “Be Active”, a FIFA and World Health Organization initiative that encourages kids to move and play for at least 60 minutes a day, and FIFA’s “Unite for Peace” campaign, which highlighting football’s role in fostering dialogue, respect and social cohesion, especially in regions affected by unrest or conflict.

“What FIFA does with all the revenues from this (FIFA) World Cup, and every other (FIFA) World Cup as well, is re-investing in the game in projects like the Afghanistan girls who can finally play football, like projects in Africa, in Asia, in America, in Oceania, to allow children to play football and to have hope and opportunities for the future. Because football, and playing football, is not just a sport,” Mr Infantino said. “Football is about happiness, it is about hope, and it is about unity. So we have to remember these three things. Let’s remember to be happy, let’s remember to give hope, and let’s remember that we have to unite.”

Mr Infantino was a featured speaker during an energetic day of discussion, informative videos and, later, a mini-football tournament on the UN’s North Lawn. Among those who also addressed the gathering were Annalena Baerbock, the President of the 80th Session of the UNGA, Ambassador Taher El-Sonni, the Permanent Representative of the State of Libya to the United Nations, and Ambassador Jonibek Hikmat, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations. In addition, renowned former players Gerald Asamoah, Luís Figo, Nuno Gomes and Steffi Jones also spoke about how football changed their lives and can change the world.

The upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026™, which begins on Thursday, 11 June in Mexico City, will be a historic catalyst for change as well. Not only will the expanded, 48-team tournament boost the beautiful game throughout North America, it will inspire camaraderie, common dreams, and the desire to play across the globe.

“This (FIFA) World Cup will have three host countries – Mexico, Canada and the United States – working hand in hand to make it a success,” Mr Infantino said. “Sixteen host cities, 48 teams – 48 countries participating – seven million people in the stadiums, tens of millions coming to the three host countries and the 16 Host Cities just to feel the vibe of the (FIFA) World Cup, just to be together and spend time with each other and learn to know each other. We will have six billion people watching from all over the world.

“So let’s make this (FIFA) World Cup that starts in a few weeks a moment of unity, a moment of happiness, and a moment of hope for the future.”