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Street Child United in North America
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Over the past week, global media has been full of images of civil unrest in Mexico, including reports of road blockages after the death of a cartel leader in Guadalajara. Friends, team leaders, volunteers and board members from all over the world have been in touch, understandably anxious about what this might mean for the Street Child World Cup 2026 in Mexico City.
The whole thing got me thinking of that old line: “Events, dear boy, events. You can’t control events.” Even small organisations like ours need to be ready for the things that come out of left field.
In times like these, we lean on our Audit and Risk Group and our engaged Board, and we’re grateful for CRC Communications’ voluntary expertise to help us navigate what’s happening and reassure our team leaders, young people and volunteers. We are taking this seriously, we are listening, and we will never compromise on safety.
In times like these, it’s essential to have strong partners in Mexico. Along with an active local advisory group and long-standing friends in diplomatic roles in-country, our partners become our eyes and ears on the ground.
The recent unrest has been concentrated mainly in the northern and Pacific regions of Mexico, not in Mexico City itself. Local contacts in the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Sport, and Ministry of Tourism have been able to give us consistent, reliable updates so we can assess and respond based on accurate, real-time information rather than social media headlines alone. By the end of the week, tensions appeared to be calming, and we hope that continues.
We are not a faith-based organisation, but I know many people involved with Street Child United are people of faith, whether Christians, Muslims, Jews, or Sikhs. When events clearly beyond our control unfold, it has been deeply reassuring to know that people are praying for us, lighting candles, and holding the young people and team leaders preparing for the Street Child World Cup in their thoughts. If you are one of them, thank you. It makes us stronger.
Wales steps up and joins in
My hometown team is Swansea City. That’s where I was born and that’s who I follow. I’ve watched the Swans with my two daughters at 46 different grounds. I’m Swansea ’til I die. For 12 years we’ve tried to get a team from Wales to a Street Child World Cup. A team representing young people who haven’t had the same opportunities as others, but who deserve to stand on a global stage. Every time, we’ve fallen short.
This year, everything changed.
Thanks to the fabulous Beth and Craig at the Swansea City Foundation, and the amazing Kristian, Griff and Lucy at Blaenau Gwent Youth Services, we finally have a girls’ team and a boys’ team coming from Wales; for the first time, Wales will be represented on the pitch at the Street Child World Cup. I still have to pinch myself.
The Swansea City Foundation team has grown out of their work in local schools and community programmes, where football is a tool for confidence, belonging and aspiration. Week by week, these young people have been growing in belief, supported by leaders who see their potential long before they see it themselves.
The team from Blaenau Gwent Youth Services represents the heart of the valleys. They’re young people who have faced real challenges but have been backed by youth workers who refuse to give up on them. Through commitment, resilience and real grassroots support, they’ve earned the right to stand on an international stage at the Street Child World Cup 2026.
My Welsh flag story
I’ve taken my red Welsh dragon flag, with the words “In Solidarity”, to every Street Child World Cup. It always goes behind one of the goals and it’s in every documentary. So for me, Wales has always been with us. We’ve had brilliant Welsh volunteers, but we’ve never had a team until now. It feels a bit like a full-circle moment.
I am utterly convinced that with the support of their leaders, and the experience of Street Child United, these young people will be transformed. Their eyes will be opened. They will realise they are somebody and that they can achieve more than they ever imagined. My own quiet hope is that one of them might be a future First Minister of Wales. It will sound ridiculous to them now. To me, it seems completely rational.
Dr Alan Midha put it beautifully in a piece for the Institute of Welsh Affairs about Team Wales: “Sending a group of young people to the Street Child World Cup says so much about what sort of country we are.”
Towel-waving with Snoop Dogg
Next week we’ll have a formal launch event for Team Wales at the headquarters of the Football Association of Wales. But last Tuesday night, the young people had a very different kind of introduction.
They met each other for the first time at the Swansea-Preston game, acting as guards of honour to welcome the teams onto the pitch. Then they spent time with one of the Swans’ new owners: Snoop Dogg.
It was so surreal.
Here he was, 100 million Instagram followers and all, in my city, at my football team, meeting the young people heading to the Street Child World Cup. Fresh from his role as Team USA’s official ambassador and NBC commentator at the Winter Olympics, now in Swansea on a Tuesday night against Preston.
He chose Swansea.
We were handed small white towels to wave above our heads when Snoop made his entrance onto the pitch. For nine minutes it was pure joy, like a full Bernabéu when they wave their white handkerchiefs. “Snoop Dogg’s barmy army” running around the stadium. People arrived four hours before kick-off. It’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to experiencing Beatlemania.
Preston went 1-0 up, and fair play, their fans were quick to chant: “Where have your towels gone? Where have your towels gone?”. Then, in the fifth minute of injury time, Liam Cullen equalised and 20,000 people waved their towels again.
I found myself wondering what the 10 boys and 10 girls from Blaenau Gwent were thinking: “We’re going to a World Cup in Mexico. We’re going to play against teams from countries like Brazil. But tonight, Snoop Dogg is listening to our stories, and we’re all having a party at the Liberty Stadium.”
Sometimes the surreal is where dreams begin.
Team Pakistan forever
My mum had 10 grandchildren and every single one of them was convinced they were her favourite. I feel the same about our Street Child United teams. Officially, I don’t have favourites.
Unofficially, Team Pakistan is up there.
After the 2014 Street Child World Cup in Brazil, they had an extraordinary impact. 7,000 people greeted them at the airport at 4am. They met their President on arrival. The government then carried out the first-ever census of street children in Pakistan. The team ran an “I Am Somebody” tour, visited every province, and appeared on television morning, noon and night. They petitioned the government to re-educate the police in dealing with street children and deliver child protection training.
A few days after I got back from Brazil, they insisted I come to Pakistan to join them. It was incredible.
I’ve always loved our brothers and sisters at Muslim Hands. When they introduce me in Karachi or Islamabad, they say, “This is John Wroe, founder of the Street Child World Cup – a VIP”, which to them means “Very Important Pakistani”.
Kudos to Team Pakistan.
Pakistani visa challenge
Muslim Hands, our lead organisation there, have the passports and birth certificates. They’ve held a training camp and they’ve got the kit ready. But the visas are proving tricky.
There’s no Mexican Embassy in Pakistan, and the nearest one is in India. Because the team is Muslim, travelling there isn’t a realistic option. The whole team would need to go to a third country, stay while visas are processed, then return home. India is not viable. The next option is Tehran which is not straightforward at the moment either. We are currently exploring different solutions and have been touched by the support we’ve received from all kinds of friends and organisations. The world is a volatile place at present, but I am confident that we will find an answer. The idea of a Street Child World Cup without Team Pakistan is too much to contemplate.
Thank you to everyone who is walking this road with us. The countdown to the Street Child World Cup 2026 continues, and I know that, once again, the world will conspire with us.
John