A Cambodian side is set to take part in the 19th Homeless World Cup, set to take place in Seoul, South Korea, from September 21 to September 28, 2024.

The team’s trip has been organised by the Happy Football Cambodia Association (HFCA), with support from the Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF).

The squad comprises eight young athletes who are homeless, or have experienced homelessness, making them eligible under the rules of the competition.

Selected by HFCA, the players include Samey Sao (aged 28), Pheak Porn (25) and Nivath Veng (23) from Siem Reap province, Phanna Phorn (23) is from Prey Veng and Po Oem (24) from Kampot. These five had previously been chosen to participate in the 2020 tournament in Finland but were unable to attend due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The remaining three are Thonet Soam (17) from Svay Rieng, Sokarn Sen (19) from Kandal and Makara Phun (18) from Prey Veng.

Of the players, five come from CCF, and three from Build Your Future Today (BYFT), both partners of HFCA.

Long Sovatha, a former Cambodian representative at the 2017 Homeless World Cup in Oslo, Norway, will serve as the team’s coach and manager for this year's event.

Paraic Grogan, founder of HFCA, explained at a September 5 press conference that the Homeless World Cup (HWC) was established in 2003 in Graz, Austria. Cambodia has been participating since 2008. This will be the 12th time HFCA has organized a Cambodian team for the tournament, with the goal of bringing life-changing opportunities to impoverished youth.

“Finally, the five players who missed out on Finland in 2020 will have the chance to showcase their talents at the Homeless World Cup in Korea. HFCA is thrilled to give our kids the opportunity to compete with teams from around the world, gaining new experiences and further developing their skills,” said Grogan.

This year’s cup will feature 70 nations and marks the first time the event will be held in Asia since its suspension due to the Covid-19 crisis, from 2020 to 2022.

Among the participating countries, many have a long history of strong football traditions, such as Brazil, Argentina, Germany, France, Italy, England, Scotland and Nigeria. Our players will face tough competition, but I believe they will gain significant benefits from the experience,” added Grogan.

Scott Neeson, founder of CCF, also addressed the press conference.

“CCF has been supporting HFCA for years, and the goal of this partnership is to provide our young players with the opportunity to travel and play against teams from diverse regions around the world. It’s an incredible experience that has a profound impact on the participants,” he said.

“Our past participants in the Homeless World Cup have shown significant personal growth and increased confidence after interacting with other youths who share similar backgrounds. This experience helps them foster a stronger sense of community and greater confidence in improving their own lives,” he added.

The Cambodian team’s participation underscores the competition organiser’s continued commitment to empowering disadvantaged youth through the transformative power of football.