Nike proves it again that sport can make the world better. The company is launching the 2010 Homeless Word Cup in Brazil to give people without homes a great opportunity to become a part of a global sport community and bring positive changes into their lives. The huge street soccer tournament will be arranged on 19-26 September on a stadium with three pitches, which was constructed on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.

This year’s Cup, the eighth one in row, will feature 30,000 players from around the globe who will came to struggle for the chance to be named the winning team. During each match, they will be competing in front of 5,000 of soccer fans (that’s the number of people the stadium can hold).

The founder partners of the event are also Vodafone Group Foundation and UEFA. The first championship was hosted by Graz, Austria in 2003 and then it united 18 nations. Over the eight years the number of participating countries grew to 64. The Cup is rolling out globally—it took place in a number of countries including Scotland, Denmark and South Africa with the previous tournament being arranged in Italy and the next one coming to France.

«Brazil and the City of Rio have the courage to take positive steps to address poverty and serious social issues with football, a sport in which they lead the world. The Homeless World cup is an opportunity for homeless people to move from the invisible margins to the center of Rio, stand proud on a global stage, true ambassadors for their country, and change their lives. A ball can change the world,» stated Mel Young, President, the Homeless World Cup.

The Homeless World Cup project, which has already helped over 70% of players improve their lives, is a part of Nike’s GameChangers program.