North America

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 Texas Equestrian Faith Smyth is featured in the documentary Where the Horse Heal the Soul recently released on streaming platforms.

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.

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.