Online Competitions: Battling for World Championship slots through Qualifying Matches
Kicking It Online: The 2021 World Football for Friendship Championship
Get ready for some digital football action! The World Online Football for Friendship Championship is set to take place on May 29, with qualifying matches held from May 24 to 25. This global event is a key part of the ninth season of the international children's social program "Football for Friendship" (F4F).
Four teams - "Argali", "Bearded Vulture", "Ermine", and "Red-legged Ibis" - have made it to the semifinals, representing 19 nations. These teams will battle it out on the "F4F World", a multiplayer football simulator specially developed for the program and available in 27 languages across different operating systems.
The international teams were drawn in late April, and participants from over 200 countries had the chance to apply or be nominated by national football academies.
12-year-old Rohit Peiris, a young footballer from Sri Lanka, expressed his excitement, stating, "By participating in the 2021 World Online Football for Friendship Championship and playing in my wonderful team, I met kids from 100 countries at once. I'm proud and happy to have met people of my age from all over the world. I also had the opportunity to communicate with them at various seminars and group activities. Football for Friendship is truly a unique project. I'm already looking forward to when it will happen offline again, and I can meet all my friends in person."
This year, the Football for Friendship World Championship continues its tradition of naming teams after endangered animal species, such as "Chinese Alligator", "Red-footed Booby", "Black Shark", "Broad-nosed Rhino", "Manul", "Star-nosed Mole", "Eurasian Pygmy Owl", and "Western Long-eared Hedgehog". This practice was initiated in 2018 to raise awareness about environmental protection and biodiversity issues.
During the international online camp events, young participants, guided by educators and young coaches, bonded under the motto "Uniting Friends - Uniting the World", preparing for the 2021 World Online Championship "Football for Friendship". From May 15 to 23, they made new friends, shared ideas, and discussed the nine values of the program, such as friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, loyalty, victory, tradition, and honor.
The winner of the 2020 World Online Championship "Football for Friendship" was the team "Granulated Salamander", consisting of young players from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Turkey.
While specific details of the 2021 online iteration are currently unclear, it is likely that the event incorporated virtual gameplay, mixed-team matches, and educational modules, following the tradition of the Football for Friendship program emphasizing fair play, cultural exchange, and global unity.
- The semifinals of the World Online Football for Friendship Championship will be held on May 29, featuring teams "Argali", "Bearded Vulture", "Ermine", and "Red-legged Ibis" in a battle on the "F4F World".
- The teams competing in the semifinals represent 19 nations, demonstrating the global reach of the F4F program.
- The Chinese Alligator, Red-footed Booby, Black Shark, Broad-nosed Rhino, Manul, Star-nosed Mole, Eurasian Pygmy Owl, and Western Long-eared Hedgehog are among the animal species named after teams in the Football for Friendship program, with the aim of raising awareness about biodiversity.
- The participants of the 2021 World Online Football for Friendship Championship are expected to compete in an event incorporating virtual gameplay, mixed-team matches, and educational modules, as the Football for Friendship program consistently emphasizes fair play, cultural exchange, and global unity.
