Scotland’s men will face Hong Kong in the opening fixture (1300 BST), followed by Scotland women against Norway, immediately afterwards (1325 BST).
The games take place in the heart of Glasgow, on George Square, which will be turned into a spectacular stadium venue for the duration of the tournament.
Ahead of the first match, a short, colourful ceremony will take place to open the 2016 tournament.
And before that, the 512 players from across 52 countries will parade through the city from their base at Glasgow Caledonian University. Along with coaches and key support staff, they’ll make their way through the city and down into George Square, via Renfield Street and The Tron with the aid of the Williamwood and Johnstone Pipe Bands.
Of the other home nations in the women’s tournament, Wales face the Netherlands (16.45 BST) and England take on Greece (17.40 BST), on the first day.
100,000 spectators are expected to visit the Homeless World Cup during the week-long festival, with organisers stating it will be, “the most inspiring place on the planet”. Entry is free & no tickets are required, albeit it is expected at key times (particularly when Scotland play) it will be very busy.
The Homeless World Cup arrives in Glasgow as part of a three way partnership between the Homeless World Cup Foundation, the Scottish Government (delivered via EventScotland), and Glasgow City Council (delivered via Glasgow Life).
Every game (416) from the Homeless World Cup will be live on homelessworldcup.org and YouTube. In Scotland, STV is the home broadcaster, and will show extensive live coverage on STV Glasgow, STV Edinburgh and the main STV channel.
Former Scotland striker Gordon Smith, who will co-present coverage of the Homeless World Cup with STV’s Peter Martin adds:
“I’m looking forward to co-presenting coverage of the Homeless World Cup on STV. It promises to be an inspirational tournament with some incredible stories, kicking off with Scotland’s games against Hong Kong and Norway. Hopefully thousands of people will come down to George Square over the course of the week to be part of what’s sure to be a brilliant event.”
Scotland women’s player Krissi Rodgers (25), also from Glasgow says:
“Norway will present a really tough test, but we’re feeling ready for the challenge. For all of us involved in Street Soccer Scotland’s programmes this is a real journey. We’ve got fantastic team spirit, and we hope that, along with the support of the nation we will go far into the tournament.”
