The Magic of the Arts at the Street Child World Cup

Throughout the Street Child World Cup in Mexico City, art became one of the tournament's most powerful tools.

Delivered in partnership with Bath Spa University, our arts programme ran closely alongside the Congress sessions, giving 280 young people from 20 countries another language to communicate ideas, advocate for change, and represent themselves with confidence.

Art has the power to communicate across languages and cultures in a way that words sometimes cannot, and throughout the Street Child World Cup 2026, drawing and design became tools for amplifying the voices of young people who so often go unheard.

Reimagining flags, building identity

The programme began with something familiar to every team: their national flag. Working together, teams reimagined their flags, creating collaborative designs that celebrated what made them proud of where they come from, while building a sense of collective identity.

From there, participants created individual "I Am Somebody" posters, combining words, images and graphic techniques to communicate who they are and what they care about. Together, these hundreds of unique posters formed a powerful collective statement - one that was later animated and shown during the General Assembly.

Zines, banners and hexagons

Young people also produced personal zines - small, handmade magazines that encouraged reflection on their past, present and future. Through messages of gratitude, hope and aspiration, participants documented their journeys and imagined the futures they wanted to build for themselves and their communities.

Alongside these activities, participants contributed to a series of textile banners featuring words, demands and messages developed through Congress discussions. Teams also designed football-inspired hexagon artworks that visualised the changes they wanted to see in the world. These designs were later transformed into a 3D animation shown during the General Assembly, connecting the language of football with the collective calls for change emerging from the tournament.

In their own words

Tim Vyner, Professor of Illustration at Bath Spa University and Arts Manager for the Street Child World Cup, has worked with our teams for several tournaments now. He told us:

"People often ask me what a Street Child World Cup is really like. I find it almost impossible to describe, but through the arts it becomes much easier to capture the mood, atmosphere, energy and pace of such a unique event. Alongside that, being able to use drawing as a form of storytelling to advocate for change is a very powerful thing."

A collective statement

Displayed throughout the event, the artwork, textiles and animations gave a powerful visual expression to the hopes, identities and ambitions of our participants, ensuring that creativity and advocacy remained closely intertwined throughout Street Child World Cup 2026.

That statement didn't stay on the page. It travelled into the Congress sessions, onto the stage at the General Assembly, and for many of the young people who made it, all the way home.