Amidst the beautiful city of Kazan covered in snow, children from 13 countries, from Russia to Tanzania, have gathered in the spirit of friendship and nine values to participate in the 10th edition of Football For Friendship Games Of The Future 2024.
Prior to the opening ceremony, a press conference was organized at the Kazan Expo, where journalists from all walks of life participated in Q&As.
The colourful ceremony displayed at the opening ceremony took place at the Kazan Universaide Villiiage. The unique feature of this year’s games is its PHYGITAL nature not only will kids play on the football field but also play video games.
The friendship teams are named after rare and endangered species of animals: Franklin’s Bumblebee, Tiger Quoll, Caspian Seal, Socorro Dove, Gobi Bear, Onager.
Participants of “Football for Friendship. Phygital” 2024 – Young football players, 12 years old boys and girls from 13 countries of the world: Russia, Belarus, Benin, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Syria, Slovenia, Tanzania, Turkey, and the Central African Republic.
“Games of Future” is an international competition of a new format that will be held in Kazan in March 2024. All competitions of the “Games” (16 disciplines) support the concept of phygital, it means they combine classical sports, e-sports and technologies.
By: Gloria Peprah