Homeless World Cup's James McMeekin, back row left, poses with members of the Korean Homeless World Cup squad, Tottenham Hotspur players Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario and former professional footballer Lee Keun-ho, chairman of the local organizing committee, in Seoul, Aug. 1. Courtesy of Daueen Shim

Seoul is set to join an exclusive group of just four cities that have hosted a Summer Olympics, a FIFA World Cup and a Homeless World Cup.

Hanyang University will host 500 players from 64 teams representing 49 nations for the Seoul Homeless World Cup, the first event of its kind in Asia, from Sept. 21 to 28.

The Homeless World Cup is part of an initiative that advocates for an end to homelessness through sport. The annual tournament began in 1999, and a women's event was added in 2009. Since 2010, all tournaments have featured men's and women's competitions. Korea also began fielding a team in that year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no tournaments were held from 2020 to 2022.

The players in the Homeless World Cup are people "who have experienced homelessness or social exclusion but are trying to move their lives forward," according to organizers. "Putting on their nation's shirt becomes a springboard to a new beginning for so many."

Teams are organized by a national partner in each country, which is typically a grassroots organization directly engaging with the unhoused and marginalized.

"We provide a focus for — and a celebration of — their year-round activity with the Homeless World Cup," the organizers said. "We also support their day-to-day work by building international connections, facilitating skill sharing and helping our members to develop."

Each country fields a squad of eight, with four on the field at a time. Games are 14 minutes long and fast-paced, with a lot of goals.

Of the players who take part in the Homeless World Cup, 94 percent report the experience as having a positive impact on their lives, according to the organizers, which said that after the tournaments, "a huge percentage of (the players) improve their lives through education, employment in social enterprises and other businesses, substance abuse rehabilitation and supported housing."

The Homeless World Cup has been the subject of numerous documentaries, including "Kicking It" (2008) and "The Beautiful Game" (2024). It is also the subject of the Korean sports comedy-drama "Dream" (2023), directed by Lee Byeong-heon and starring Park Seo-joon and Lee Ji-eun, also known as IU.

The Homeless World Cup Foundation, a social organization that is registered as a charity in Scotland, cited a 2005 global survey by the United Nations, the most recent available data, which estimates that there are approximately 100 million unhoused people worldwide and many as 1.6 billion people who lack adequate housing.

"A world without Homelessness," the organization says on its website. "That's the goal."

Visit homelessworldcup.org for more information.