Worcester World Cup

Worcester World Cup Schedule
Saturday, August 11th Schedule

9:00 am Game 1: Iraq x Senegal
10:10 am Game 2: Brazil x USA
11:20 pm Game 3: Togo x Ecuador
12:30 pm Game 4: Liberia x Jamaica
1:40 pm Game 5: Kosova x Ghana
2:50 pm Game W1: Guatemala x El Salvador (women)
4:00 pm Game 6: Albania x Iran
5:10 pm Game W2: Mexico x USA (women)
6:20 pm Game 7: Vietnam x Guatemala

Sunday, August 12th

9:30 am - 2:00 pm Men’s Round 2 (winners from Round 1 & Best Loser)
2:10 pm - 4:20 pm Men’s Round 3 (winners from Round 2)
4:30 pm Women’s Final Game
5:40 pm Men’s Final Game
6:50 pm Awards Ceremony Men’s (1st & 2nd) & Women’s (1st & 2nd)

Tournament organizers believe the Worcester World Cup is far more than a soccer tournament; it is a chance to recognize and celebrate Worcester’s past and present immigrant communities. This 2-day tournament will bring together 18 teams representing 16 countries and immigrant communities. Women’s teams from Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico and the USA will be joined by Men’s teams from Togo, Albania, Iran, Jamaica, Ghana, Iraq, Guatemala, Brazil, Kosova, Vietnam, Liberia, USA, Ecuador, & Senegal.

The tournament is held at Elm Park Community School field, a focal point of the nascent immigrant soccer leagues and pick-up games in Worcester. Many of the players in the tournament live nearby and regularly practice and scrimmage on this field. Neighborhood community groups have asked the City Manager to prioritize this field for much needed renovation. City Councilor Gary Rosen has made the field’s renovation a personal project he wants to see succeed. The Worcester World Cup is a community celebration with entertainment along with games for children, national flags representing the teams, ethnic food vendors, and more! EHANA, the neighborhood association around the Elm Park Community School will be coordinating children’s activities and awarding prizes. There is no entrance fee for spectators.

Cultural Exchange Through Soccer (CETS) was born out of an effort to build relationships in an internationally diverse neighborhood and to support Elm Park Community School’s growth. It is a unique program that has proven its ability to bring neighbors together for recreation and for the neighborhood’s common good. CETS was started in the summer of 2003 and has grown substantially. What was an 8- week program with a dozen kids and one coach now boasts over 65 participants, including 14 coaches playing year round by using the EPCS gymnasium and the EPCS school field.

Join Cultural Exchange Through Soccer (CETS), the Pleasant Street Neighborhood Network Center, and Worcester Common Ground for the Second Annual Worcester World Cup!