Unity Euro Cup
Unity Euro Cup
The event is co-organised by UNHCR and UEFA, and brings together both male and female refugees and local amateur players from participating European nations.
Trophy of the first ever Unity Euro Cup organized by UNHCR and UEFA at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland in 2022.
Past tournaments
French team ambassador and former footballer Laura Georges is greeted during the first ever Unity Euro Cup in 2022.
The Finland team celebrating their win in the final of the 2023 Unity Euro Cup.
Medals from the first ever Unity Euro Cup in 2022.
Players from the German team celebrate during the final of the first ever Unity Euro Cup in 2022.
Refugee and host community players representing nations across Europe come together at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland for the first edition of the Unity Euro Cup in 2022.
A member of the Ukraine team competing in the 2023 Unity Euro Cup.
The most recent Unity Euro Cup took place on 10 October 2024
in Nyon, Switzerland
What is the Unity Euro Cup?
Since 2021, UEFA and UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, have been working together to improve the lives of displaced people through the transformative power of football; to assist and uphold their rights and foster better inclusion in the communities generously hosting them.
Through the universal language of football, the first Unity Euro Cup, held in 2022, demonstrated the powerful role sport can play in bringing people together and promoting inclusion. The tournament gave the participants from both refugee and host communities the opportunity to represent their country or host country in an international competition, instilling a sense of pride and teamwork.
Following the successful first edition, UEFA and UNHCR hosted an expanded second edition in June 2023, where 16 teams of refugees and host community members came together to compete, showcasing the unique power of sport in bringing diverse communities together.
This year, the tournament is returning to UEFA's headquarters in Nyon on 10 October 2024, and will include teams representing Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine.
Learn more about how UNHCR and UEFA use the power of sports to help refugees
As part of the UEFA Football Sustainability Strategy 2030, UEFA actively promotes the integration of refugees, asylum-seekers and displaced individuals within host communities through football.
UNHCR has developed the UNHCR Sport Strategy – More than a Game – which outlines the role that sports and sports organizations can play in improving the lives of displaced and stateless people and in supporting integration with host communities.
