The Philadelphia International Unity Cup was started in 2016 to bring people of all backgrounds together around a shared love of soccer. Every year, the tournament kicks off during Immigrant Heritage Month with the official team draw.

The Philadelphia International Unity Cup:

  • is an annual World Cup-style soccer tournament unique to Philly.
  • was started in 2016, as the brainchild of Mayor Jim Kenney.
  • unites the city’s neighborhoods.
  • celebrates our diverse immigrant communities through soccer.

Over the course of four years, the Unity Cup has expanded from 32 to 52 teams, representing dozens of countries from across the globe.

2019 Group Draw

Friday, June 7 at 11 a.m.

Independence Visitor Center, 6th and Market Streets

The draw is the kick-off event for the Unity Cup tournament. All 52 teams and their communities come out to see who they will play in group stage, or preliminary matches, of the tournament. The draw gets its name from the drawing of ping-pong balls with individual country names pulled from a bin. Once the draw is complete, there will be 13 groups of four teams that will compete in matches in August.

After the group stage is complete, half the field (26 teams) will advance to the knockout rounds, eventually crowning a champion in October.

For more information, visit the Unity Cup website.
Or send an email to phl.unitycup@phila.gov.