Behind the Barrio Nation Cup - a street football world cup with 16 national teams

There might not be a summer World Cup in 2022, with events kicking off in Qatar in November instead of the traditional time of year, but players representing a number of nations will have a tournament of their own in Paris.

The Barrio Nation Cup began in 2019, and has grown to the point that last year’s final was held in front of a crowd of 1,500. This is not a professional tournament, though. Rather, it is an opportunity for Parisians - including immigrants and diaspora members - to represent the countries of their heritage in what the locals call ‘streetfoot’.

For four straight years, players have gathered at the Elisabeth Stadium on ‘Le Plateau’, a ground in Paris’ 14th arrondissement, to challenge for glory. Ahead of the 2022 edition, spoke to organiser Ferhat Cicek to get a feel for what to expect.

“The idea came from the great fashion of the CAN (Africa Cup of Nations) which took place in Ile de France, with the difference that I wanted a tournament which goes beyond the African nations and which includes nations from other continents,” Ferhat explains. He is of Turkish heritage himself, and there have been teams representing Turkey, Japan, Portugal and Switzerland as well as several African nations.

“The first was organised by a little guy from my neighbourhood called Dama. He was full of goodwill and I wanted to help him because I have a lot of experience in events, [and] he passed the torch to me.”

The tournament had eight teams in its first incarnation, later growing to 12 and now 16. Part of its appeal comes from the fact that it’s a real show of football in its pure form, and a chance to avoid the bureaucracy and other elements which have put some fans off the professional game.

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