Darfur United Sets Sight on World Football Cup in North Macedonia

 

For logistical reasons, Somaliland will not be able to host the tournament. After an intensive search, CONIFA recently announced that “Skopje, in the Republic of North Macedonia, will play host to the CONIFA Sportsbet.io World Football Cup 2020.” (http://www.conifa.org/en/2019/12/02/new-conifa-sportsbet-io-world-football-cup-2020-location-announced/)

For Darfur United, it is the journey that is most important, not the destination. The team is focusing on what it can do to get stronger on the field and also how to mindfully and intentionally represent the people of Darfur and the millions of refugees and internally displaced by conflict, war, and persecution.

Players and staff, even though they are not together in the same location, are currently independently preparing while being virtually connected. The focus over the coming winter months is to improve physical and mental fitness. In the spring of 2020, there will be two important training camps, one in Östersund, Sweden and another one in Los Angeles, USA.

From those two gatherings, Head Coach Mark Hodson will select the best team to represent Darfur United in Skopje in May/June 2020. It will be the first time since 2014 that the team, one which originated from a dusty football pitch in a refugee camp close to the Chad-Darfur border, will participate in a World Football Cup.

Join Darfur United on this exciting journey! The team will need your support and there will be many opportunities for you to cheer them on and actively participate in the Darfur United Experience. If you have any questions or thoughts, don’t hesitate to contact us: gabriel@iactivism.org and danielle@iactivism.org.