Unhoused soccer players at Montreal tournament say sport changed their lives

Players with the Canadian Street Soccer Association National tournament play a game of keep away outside during a national forum at Université de Montréal, in Montreal on Friday, June 5, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

MONTREAL — When Fabrice Mugabe was selected to play soccer for a Canadian team in Oslo, Norway, last year, he says he didn't have a passport and had never travelled for fun.

Mugabe's family fled war in Rwanda when he was six years old and came to Montreal. He says he went through a rough patch where he had trouble holding a job and experienced a bout of homelessness.

He says his life changed when he was invited to take part in a game set up by the Canadian Street Soccer Association. The organization aims to tackle homelessness and social isolation through sport.

"It gave me encouragement, it gave a community," says Mugabe. "You have people that are around you that can ask you, how are you? Which is like so simple in itself, but can do so much."

While many soccer fans around the world may have their attention on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mugabe was sharing his experiences about his 2025 participation at a different tournament called the Homeless World Cup.

The event is an international tournament of soccer teams composed of unhoused people involving more than 70 organizations.

The Canadian Street Soccer Association is hosting a tournament in Montreal on Saturday where teams from across the country can compete and players could be recruited for the next Homeless World Cup in Mexico City, scheduled for January 2027.

Mugabe says going to Oslo was an "unreal experience," and while players can only participate once, he is now training to coach and give back to the organization.

Emma "Zero" Bellante says her life has turned around in the year and a half since she first started playing with the Canadian Street Soccer Association.

She says she has been a patient at the Canadian Mental Health Association in the Toronto area for nine years. She says she was referred to the early psychosis intervention program two years ago where she was introduced to the street soccer association.

Bellante played soccer at a high level as a teen and said she was anxious about returning to the sport.

"But I decided to come and that first day, it felt like a completely different game than what I was used to. Non-competitive, very uplifting, a lot of joy," she says. "I just kept going."

Shortly after joining, she was recruited to compete in Oslo.

Knowing that those playing with her come from similar backgrounds also encouraged her, says Bellante.

The street soccer association welcomes newcomers, those with mental health and addiction struggles, and those experiencing homelessness or precarious housing.

The association provides them with a team sport and connects them with other resources.

"I didn't know their stories, but I knew that we shared a lot of common experiences in our life, trauma and things like that," says Bellante. "It was really nice to just be able to … know that everybody that's there has gone through the same thing."

Since coming back from Norway, Bellante started coaching teams in Ontario.

She runs Tuesday sessions for the mixed team in Brampton and helped create a women's team in Mississauga.

"I want the people who have been working hard and improving their lives … to experience it too because it's special, unlike anything I've ever felt," said Bellante.

May Angela Nakintu also competed in Oslo last year and said she saw a flyer for the street soccer association at a shelter she was staying at in Toronto two years ago.

She said before she started playing, every day felt the same. Through playing street soccer, she made friends and she looks forward to every practice. She also got certified to coach and referee.

"Sunday morning is my best part of the week," she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

Erika Morris, The Canadian Press