To mark the start of the tournament, acclaimed poet Lemn Sissay OBE has penned a new work that celebrates football’s ability to bring people from different backgrounds, cultures and generations together.
Eight Games, which is published in collaboration with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, focuses on themes of hope and collective identity, marking this World Cup as a powerful opportunity to put differences and hatred aside.
Watch Eight Games
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said
This summer, we will come together to watch eight games that could take us to the top of the world. Our young players representing England and Scotland will show the very best of who we are through passion, courage, unity, friendship and teamwork.
These shared national moments remind us that it is about confidence in who we are, pride in where we come from, and belief in what we can achieve together.
We are better than the hate and anger and division that we have seen on our streets and in our politics. At a time when too many feel divided, we know we are stronger when we come together.
This is our time to make wings of our arms and fly.
Sissay, who was born in Wigan to Ethiopian parents, is one of Britain’s most renowned poets. He was the official poet of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and served as Chancellor of the University of Manchester from 2015 to 2022.
He appears in a video to mark the poem’s release, joined by members of the public from both England and Scotland in delivering a spoken version of the work.
Lemn Sissay OBE said
My inspiration for Eight Games is us – all of us – unified by the game. When I see football crowds watching a game, I see the society I want to live in people of all backgrounds supporting their team and each other, cheering together, laughing together, crying together.
Eight games is the maximum any nation can play at this World Cup. But however many we play, the whole tournament is a chance to create that magical feeling of unity, to lift each other’s spirits and to show what we are capable of.
I am done with hatred, done with division and done with misplaced anger. Yes, our brilliant football teams may not win. But we can. We can win.
ENDS