Chasing that feeling of football and home, Rune stumbles into the story of the Homeless World Cup, and the people for whom that feeling isn't a memory, but a lived reality. In this episode, Rune meets Kuda, who arrived in Australia in 2008 to play in the Homeless World Cup and never left. A career-ending injury and a childhood without parents back in Zimbabwe could have been the end of his story, instead, a stranger asked him a simple question, "Do you want to join us and play in Australia?”, and football became a path for finding a new home. Rune also drops in on a Big Issue’s Community Street Soccer program, the backbone of the Homeless World Cup, where players and coaches describe two hours a week that feel less like sport and more like family. As one coach puts it, everyone walks away feeling like they've scored a goal, whether they kicked the ball or not. Is football coming home? Maybe it never left.
...the score line often tells one story, but there's another scoreboard and that's about the change and the impact that you have on individual lives... people are building in confidence, self-esteem, they're learning new life skills, they're learning resilience.George Halkias on the Big Issue Community Street Soccer Programme
| Credits |
| Host: Rune Pedersen |
| Producers: Rune Pedersen at Onomato People |
| Writers: Rune Pedersen |
| Artwork: Wendy Tang |
| Post production and sound design: James Coster and Dom Evans at EARSAY |
| SBS Audio team: Joel Supple, Max Gosford, Bernadette Phương Nam Nguyễn, Phil Soliman |
| Guests/voices: Kuda, George Halkias, David, Ilo, Chris, Leo Filipetti, Stefan Delatovic |
Special thanks to:
Kuda and the team at BFT Cranbourne West for letting me join their workout.
Maree Agapitos, Jen Auk, and George Halkias at the Big Issue, interviewees, and all the street soccer participants, for letting Rune join their session.
Watch every minute of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ via SBS On Demand
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