PHILADELPHIA –Mayor Jim Kenney, City Representative Sheila Hess, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) Deputy Commissioner Bill Salvatore, and Philadelphia Soccer 2026 Manager of Bid Coordination & External Affairs Megan Kane, joined Philadelphia residents to celebrate the official start of the 6th Annual Philadelphia International Unity Cup.

The World Cup-style tournament will feature 48 teams and will be held over several months, with the opening matches scheduled to kick off the weekend of August 5th. The tournament unites the city’s neighborhoods and celebrates Philadelphia’s diverse immigrant communities through soccer.

The 2022 Unity Cup is hosted in partnership between the City of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Soccer 2026. Sponsors include the Philadelphia Union, The Philadelphia Union Foundation, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association (EPYSA), Global Philadelphia, Consular Corps of Philadelphia, Chickie’s and Pete’s, and Heyday Athletic. PPR, the Office of the City Representative, the Office of Immigrant Affairs, and the Office of the Mayor all support the Unity Cup.

This year’s more streamlined tournament directly models the new World Cup format, and will serve as an excellent demonstration of the World Cup style as the city builds momentum towards hosting World Cup matches in 2026. The group stage consists of 16 groups of three teams each. The top two teams in each group will advance to a 32 team knockout stage. 

The Unity Cup began in 2016 with 32 teams participating. This year’s cup will introduce four new countries to the competition as teams representing Angola, The Dominican Republic, Portugal, and Uruguay enter the tournament.

“The Unity Cup showcases some of our city’s greatest assets, our diverse communities  and passion for sports. Philadelphians are proud of our city’s diversity and our immigrant communities are proud to call Philadelphia home,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “We are proud that the Philadelphia International Unity Cup has become a model for other cities, who have begun to host their own Unity Cup style tournaments, seeking to similarly unite diverse communities around their love for soccer.”

“The Unity Cup brings together the best of Philadelphia,” said Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Deputy Commissioner Bill Salvatore. “Soccer is incredibly important to many people in Philadelphia, and particularly to some of South Philly’s diverse communities. We’re excited to once again host the Unity Cup, and to continue to build momentum towards FIFA World Cup 2026TM, where soccer fans from around the globe will get to experience Philly’s diversity, passion, and love for the game.” 

The Unity Cup games will be free to the public, and a schedule will be available on the Unity Cup website by early next week. The tournament is also looking for volunteers, and those interested in volunteering should contact PHLUnityCup@phila.gov. 

Games will be hosted at a dozen sites across the city, including Parks & Rec sites like Ramp and Smith Playgrounds, and school district supersites.

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Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) advances the prosperity of the city and the progress of its people through intentional and sustained stewardship of nearly 10,200 acres of public land and waterways as well as through hundreds of safe, stimulating recreation, environmental and cultural centers. PPR promotes the well-being and growth of the city’s residents by connecting them to the natural world around them, to each other and to fun, physical and social opportunities. PPR is responsible for the upkeep of historically significant Philadelphia events and specialty venues, and works collaboratively with communities and organizations in leading capital projects and the introduction of inventive programming. To learn more about Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, visit us at www.phila.gov/parksandrec, and follow @philaparkandrec on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.