“If I don't go to training, I won't become a professional footballer,” said an excited Julio, aged 11. Although he was born in Venezuela, where baseball was his passion, everything changed when his family had to relocate to Chile four years ago. Once settled, he fell in love with a different kind of ball: football.

When he was told about being selected to carry a FIFA flag onto the pitch during the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™ matches, he couldn't believe it. “I was really happy because I'd never been to a stadium before, and I'd get to meet real players! I was nervous the first time because there were so many people, but I was also happy because my family and friends were there to see me.”

Julio is one of 25 children who are part of a joint initiative between the FIFA Foundation and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. At the pre-match ceremony for each game of the tournament in Santiago, Chile, 12 of them carry the official FIFA flags onto the pitch.

The combined effort stems from the Memorandum of Understanding that the organisations formalised in July 2023. Their shared commitment to using football as a tool for protection, inclusion and opportunity for displaced communities was made formal during the signing ceremony.

Since then, the FIFA Foundation has actively worked to expand refugees' access to football, as well as providing them with safe spaces to play, life skills education, psychosocial support and pathways to better inclusion.

UNHCR called on two organisations to launch the initiative during the FIFA U-20 World Cup. These were Fundación Deporte Libre, a foundation offering sports classes in public spaces and parks in refugee, migrant and local communities, and Red de Apoyo Solidario, a Venezuelan charity set up by refugees and displaced individuals engaged in community integration and development in Chile.

The group of youngsters get to the stadium a few hours before kick-off, rehearse their pitch entrance and spend some time relaxing at the Youth Centre, playing football, table football or simply making friends, a key factor for displaced children's integration.

Angela is 12 years old and arrived in Chile from Haiti nine years ago. Her shyness when speaking is not noticeable when she plays football with the boys. "I discovered the sport here, and I like it because it helps me fight boredom and lead a healthy life," she says quietly. She is amazed by the World Cup experience. "I had never been to a stadium before and I think it's incredible. You can feel the excitement of all the people in the air and it's contagious."

In Chile, UNHCR works with 2,448 refugees, 13,366 asylum seekers, 1,688 people at risk of statelessness and 660,420 displaced people under international protection, most of whom are Venezuelan nationals.

UNHCR was one of the organisations that received support from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Legacy Fund. In addition, the agency ran a joint campaign with FIFA during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™.

This initiative reinforces FIFA's vision to make football truly global, diverse and inclusive, ensuring that the sport continues to be a platform to empower and bring about social change for communities in need, in line with Goal 6 of FIFA's Strategic Objectives for the Global Game: 2023-2027.