The Homeless World Cup came to a close in Glasgow on Saturday, with Mexico winning both the men’s and women’s finals

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The curtain came down on the Homeless World Cup in Glasgow on Saturday, with both the Mexican men and women’s teams taking home the silverware and retaining their titles.

More than 50 teams took part in the 14th tournament, which was described as a “wonderful success” by the organisers, the Homeless World Cup Foundation, which was set up to support and inspire homeless people through the sport.

Three hearty cheers for the Homeless World Cup | Kevin McKenna Read more

The president and founder of the Homeless World Cup, is Mel Young, who is recognised as one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. The Scot co-founded the Big Issue magazine in Scotland in 1993.

The Mexicans beat Kyrgyzstan 5-0 in the women’s final and the men achieved a 6-1 win over Brazil, so Mexico were crowned double winners for the second successive year after winning both events in Amsterdam in 2015.

Up to 100,000 spectators were estimated to watched the 416 matches over seven days in George Square, in the heart of Glasgow.

The organisers said: “It’s been an amazing seven days in central Glasgow with the focus of the football world on George Square this afternoon for the final competitions in this year’s tournament.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Scotland women’s team beat the Netherlands 8-3 in George Square, Glasgow. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA

“Every match has been a corker, with penalty shoot-outs and cracking goals aplenty, warm hugs and handshakes and stands packed with fans cheering on their native and adopted teams.

“The pinnacle of the final day, the two Cup competitions, were played out before a packed house.”

Before the event, the Duke of Cambridge said: “The Homeless World Cup Foundation is taking a unique approach to this problem, using the universal language of football to tackle the issue. Every one of the 512 players in this tournament is homeless. They have each engaged with programmes run by the foundation to deal with some incredible personal challenges to make it here.

“This competition is a celebration of all that they have achieved so far, using football as a means to get back into a more stable life.”

The next Homeless World Cup will be held in Oslo next summer.