Athletes

Standing on the sidelines of any Special Olympics Jamaica match at the 2026 Special Olympics Unified Football World Cup, one could hear cheers from their small but mighty section of supporters, who flew halfway across the globe to cheer on their team.

For the second time since its inception, the Special Olympics Unified Football World Cup implemented Unified co-captains for each team. Unified co-captains include one athlete and one Unified partner from the team and “demonstrate how football (soccer) offers opportunities to learn and practice inclusive leadership and self-advocacy skills in every practice and match,” stated Special Olympics International’s Vice President of Sport Development, Jon-Paul St. Germain. In addition to Unified co-captains, this year marks the first-year Unified co-captains wore UN Football for the Goals armbands.

Special Olympics Slovakia finished fourth in the Division 1 competition after a dramatic Bronze medal match ended in a 4–4 tie, with SO Thailand securing the medal with a 3–1 penalty victory.

Special Olympics China faced off against SO Spain in their Division 3 semi-final match at the Special Olympics Unified Football World Cup Paris 2026, suffering a 6-0 defeat.

Special Olympics Libya completed a flawless group stage at the Unified Football World Cup Paris 2026 with an emphatic victory, following earlier wins over Ecuador and Spain.

Coach Molly Underly and Special Olympics USA battled Special Olympics Namibia to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday, adding another chapter to a tournament that has already included a 2-1 win over Azerbaijan and a 6-0 loss to Guatemala.

8 July 2026. Yesterday, at the Charléty Stadium Dojo, 30 children from France with and without intellectual disabilities, participated in Young Athletes, fun motor skills courses as part of the Special Olympics Unified Football World Cup Paris 2026 non-competition events.

Team Senegal suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Jamaica in their second Unified Football World Cup Paris 2026 match after opening the tournament with a 6-0 victory over hosts France.

In lead-up to the launch of a new Special Olympics initiative, SO-Link (Linking Athletes with Scientific Opportunities), I met with Special Olympics Virginia athlete David Egan to talk about the importance of including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in research.

Team Guatemala kicked off Day 2 of the Special Olympics Unified Football World Cup Paris 2026 with a dominant 6–0 win over Special Olympics USA. Footballer Daroulin Ávila and her teammates were hungry for a victory—leaving no doubt on the pitch.

In this series, meet the athletes, Unified partners, coaches, and officials whose journeys to Paris are filled with determination, friendship, and inclusion.

Long before you see them on the pitch in Paris, Special Olympics Thailand’s women’s football team has been putting in the work; training relentlessly to be at their best, ready to compete for the title of Unified Football World Cup Champion.