Young soccer players have the chance of a lifetime to play an important role in the upcoming FIFA World Cup. If your child wants to take part in the competition, then this is a fantastic opportunity for them to get up close to the match.
Thanks to Kia, a few lucky kids will be able to be an Official Match Ball Carrier!
OFFICIAL MATCH BALL CARRIER
Official Match Ball Carriers get to deliver the ball to the referee, marking the start of each game. These youths have the amazing chance to stride out onto the field to kick off the action, taking the center stage at one Canadian-hosted match during the FIFA World Cup in either Toronto or Vancouver.
There’s some pretty stiff competition to become an Official Match Ball Carrier, though. Luckily, there are two different avenues your child can qualify to be one.
HOW TO QUALIFY
The first option is for your kid to apply through a tournament where a coach will hand-pick the top players. Out of all the entries, only 7 candidates will be selected to be an Official Match Ball Carrier.
The other option is to nominate an eligible youth through the OMBC Inspiring Stories program. Although there are no hard details on this method yet, the Kia website notes that “the program is coming soon and will be open to receive nominations for boys and girls ages 10-14 born between June 2011 and July 2016.
There are different eligibility requirements for each path. As for the tournament, eligible youths will get to represent Canada in the Official Match Ball Carrier Cup, which is a “worldwide international tournament.” They get to play in regional tryouts, which will then lead to a final showdown in Toronto on January 31, 2026.
In all, your kid only needs experience playing soccer and the availability to attend regional tryouts– as well as the final showdown if they make it through.
If you’ve got a kid who’s keen at kicking a ball– or know one you want to nominate– then this might be their chance to get close to soccer stardom at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
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