May 25 each year has now been declared World Football Day. This follows a United Nations General Assembly resolution to allow football fans to celebrate the most popular sport in the world.
The day marks the 100th anniversary of the first international soccer tournament in history with the representation of all regions which took place on May 25, 1924, during the summer Olympic games held in Paris, according to the resolution.
The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution by consensus with a bang of the gavel by its president, Dennis Francis, to applause from diplomats in the assembly chamber. It was co-sponsored by more than 160 countries.
Libya’s U.N. Ambassador Taher El-Sonni proposed the resolution establishing World Football Day. El-Sonni underlined that football is more than simply a game; it is a “universal language” that transcends national, cultural, and social boundaries, with a global reach and influence on trade, peace, and diplomacy.
The resolution recognizes FIFA and other soccer regulatory bodies’ critical role in promoting the game and urges all countries to embrace football and other sports as a weapon for peace, development, and empowering women and girls.
On May 25, the resolution asks all states, U.N. authorities, international organizations, academia, civil society, and the commercial sector to commemorate World Football Day in accordance with national priorities and to raise awareness of football’s benefits.
