The Ball 2026/27

People often ask if we have a spare ball in case we lose the one we are carrying. No, we reply, there is only One Ball and only One World, and we have to look after both.

The Ball – football’s equivalent to the Olympic Torch – has been kicked by Spirit of Football to 6 FIFA World Cups, visited 70+ countries and inspired more than 60,000 people.

Our goal is to tackle the most pertinent challenges facing societies and the planet using the unifying power of football in education and advocacy. The Ball will be travelling to both the FIFA Men’s and Women’s World Cups.

The Ball is on its way to Canada, USA, Mexico and Brazil

We will be posting content here so that you can follow the progress of The Ball as it travels.

In the meantime…

How it all started back in 2002

Watch the 2018 journey on Netflix

The Spirit of Football film on Netflix - a small group of activists sets off in a minibus across 18 countries in Europe and the Middle East towards the World Cup.

What happened in 2022/23

One Ball, One World