On Saturday 12 May, the 12th Mental Health World Cup kicked off at Queen’s Park Rangers’ Loftus Road Stadium, hosting 1,000 fans and 400 players as teams faced off to raise money for mental health charities.

With over 150 matches, the day was an action-packed, purposeful way to start Mental Health Awareness Week. Amongst the 400 participants in this year’s Cup, a handful of former professionals took to the pitch, including Danny Shittu, Nedum Onouha, Matthew Briggs, Liam MacDevitt and Colin Kazim-Richards. 

Long-time supporters Sale Group – representing Gibraltar – took home the trophy, beating Radii Partitioning representing Ivory Coast 2-0 in the final. 

To finish the day, there was an epic celebrity match between former Premier league players and content creators, ending in a thrilling 4-4 draw. Beder FC beat the Rest of the World XI in a penalty shoot-out that had fans on the edge of their seats.

The Cup raised nearly £200k for mental health charities, including Beder, CALM and the QPR Community Trust. The funds raised will go towards mental health awareness and suicide prevention, using the beautiful game to leave a meaningful impact.

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