Camp of the International Children’s Social Program Football for Friendship opened in Kazan

Camp of the International Children’s Social Program Football for Friendship opened in Kazan

On February 19, 2024, the grand opening of the camp of the International Children’s Social Program of PAO Gazprom Football for Friendship took place in Kazan. In the camp, young football players from 13 countries are preparing for the Football for Friendship. Phygital 2024 championship games, which takes place within the framework of the first international multisport tournament Games of the Future.

It is very important that Football for Friendship has become a part of Games of the Future this year, we help each other, share experiences. The young athletes who have gathered here today are infecting us with their enthusiasm. We see their burning eyes, we see how motivated they are – and it’s wonderful! I wish you to carry this enthusiasm through all the training and competitions, never lose it!“, Igor Stolyarov, the Head of the Games of the Future project, addressed the guys.

He noted that programs such as Football for Friendship bring together participants from different countries and are an incentive for the development of large-scale projects.

Participants of the sports program of the Football for Friendship. Phygital camp are 36 children from Russia, Belarus, Benin, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Romania, Macedonia, Serbia, Syria, Slovenia, Tanzania, Turkey and the Central African Republic. They have already started training, and on February 21, the young athletes will participate in the Opening Ceremony of Games of the Future.

On February 22, a qualifying match will take place, in which six teams will compete for the right to reach the finals. Each of them consists of two athletes from a foreign club, two athletes from the Zenit Football Club (Russia, St. Petersburg) and two athletes from the Rubin Football Club (Russia, Kazan). Traditionally, teams are named after rare and endangered species of animals: “Caspian seal”, “Gobi brown bear”, “Franklin’s bumblebee”, “Spotted-tailed marsupial marten”, “Socorro dove” and “Onager“.

The teams compete in two groups, the winners in each of them advance to the final, which will be held on February 23 at the Kazan Expo football field. The final match will be broadcast live on the of Games of the Future website https://gofuture.games/broadcasts/.

Elena Davydova, the Head of the PAO Gazprom Department, stressed that Football for Friendship is a unique program that brought together participants from 211 countries, won a huge number of international prizes, and set three Guinness World Records.

“In this project, we are talking not only about sports and football: we are talking about fair play, about respect for each other and for the opponent, for traditions, and ultimately about friendship. Each of you is an ambassador of your country, this is responsible and honorable. Today we are all becoming a part of the big new tournament Games of the Future, and it will be an unforgettable experience for each of us,” concluded Elena Davydova.

Reference information

Football for Friendship is an international children’s social program that has been implemented by PAO Gazprom since 2013. The program covered 211 countries and regions of the world, brought together more than 6 thousand participants and gained over 5 million supporters. Three Guinness World Records have been set as part of the program: for the largest number of visitors to the virtual stadium, for the most multinational football training session and for the most massive online football event. The operator of the program is the AGT Communications Group.

Football for Friendship. Phygital is included in the list of Sports competitions of the first international multisport tournament Games of the Future. The youngest participants of the tournament – children aged 10 to 12 years old compete here. In the tenth anniversary season of the Football for Friendship program, competitions are organized in the phygital format, combining classic sports and esports.

Games of the Future is an international multisport tournament in the phygital concept, which will take place in Kazan from February 21 to March 3, 2024. The first ever sports show in the phygital concept combines competitions in physical and digital dimensions. The competition format involves the use of the latest developments in the field of esports, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, information technology and artificial intelligence. The title sponsor of Games of the Future is PAO Gazprom.

Information resources

Official website of Football for Friendship: https://footballforfriendship.com

Official website of Games of the Future: https://gofuture.games