FIFA President Gianni Infantino has addressed a United Nations Youth Office (UNYO) conference on youth mental health, saying that it is another example of an area where football’s benefits can be felt well beyond the confines of the pitch. The conference – One World, One Game, One Goal – brought together young leaders, changemakers, policymakers, UN entities, governments, civil society, private sector partners, athletes and advocates to celebrate football and sports as powerful drivers of youth mental health and well-being.

FIFA Legends Daniel Amokachi, the former Nigeria international and Brazilian FIFA World Cup™ winner Gilberto Silva also took part as well as Macarena Sánchez, one of the first women to sign a professional contract in Argentina.

On the UN's North Lawn, children and young people participated in a series of both entertaining and mindful football activities with the Legends, while taking advantage of the opportunity to learn practical ways of how to take care of their mental health.

“We are here to lend our full support to this, so important cause of youth and mental health. It is important that we take these topics very seriously,” Mr Infantino said during his address in the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York, held 48 hours before the city hosts the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026™. “It is important that we support, it is important that we educate, it is important that we speak, and it is important that we act – as you were saying earlier. And that we show the world that not only can we unite, but that we can really do something.”

During the day-long programme, participants presented case studies of real-world solutions at the intersection of sport and youth mental health, inviting diverse discussion and lived experience, while exploring what practically works in realising purposeful change for young people.

The event also welcomed 50 FIFA World Cup 2026 volunteers, aged 18-35, to celebrate their enormous contribution toward delivering the biggest edition of the tournament yet, inviting them to hear from the FIFA President and to mark the UN Year of the Volunteer with enthusiasm and pride for their dedication to the tournament. The speaker line-up also featured representation from the FIFA Master Alumni, Football for the Goals and Laureus USA.

"When young people come together through football, they discover more than teamwork; they find care, connection and community – the foundations of positive mental health and well-being," said UN Assistant Secretary General for Youth Affairs Dr Felipe Paullier. "That is the true power of sport, and that is why harnessing its power is so important. We all have a shared responsibility to deliver for the next generations and collaborative work with organisations like FIFA is crucial to enact meaningful change.“

At the UN Youth Office, we believe every young person deserves to feel connected, supported and that they belong – a particularly pertinent message on the eve of a FIFA World Cup final, the closing moments for a tournament which unites communities – and inspires young people – all around the world."