• by Joe Curtis, writing from Miami

The 2011 Homeless World Cup has kicked off in Paris. 64 national teams composed of 500 Men and Women will compete in the 9th edition of the tournament, which was first held in Graz, Austria in 2003. The Homeless World Cup give men and women, who live without shelter and a sense of security, the chance to represent their nations. This is a dream shared by millions around the world. “The Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup is an opportunity for homeless people to move from being invisible to stand proud on a global stage". Since the first tournament in 2003, 70% of players have changed their lives. They have gone on to rebuild relationships with family and friends and have overcome addictions. This year's tournament will take place in Paris, France. The first match of the tournament took place yesterday, as France took on Portugal near the Eiffel Tower.

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So who qualifies to play in the Homeless World Cup? The mandatory criteria is as follows:

• Male or female and at least 16 years old (must have turned 16 before 01.08.2011)
• Have not taken part in previous Homeless World Cup tournaments

Players must meet at least one of the following criteria

• Have been homeless at some point after 01.08.2010, in accordance with the national definition of homelessness
• Make their main living income as street paper vendor
• Asylum seekers currently without positive asylum status or who were previously asylum seekers but obtained residency status after 01.08.2010
• Currently in drug or alcohol rehabilitation and also have been homeless at some point in the past two years (post 01.08.2009)

Teams can be all male, all female or mixed consisting of 8 players in total. All teams are required to bring a full team of 8 players to the tournament.

• The 4 players on the court:
• 3 outfield players
• 1 goalkeeper
• plus 4 substitute players ('flying' or 'rolling' substitutions apply)

Each player is expected to play a reasonable amount each game. Teams that do not give players equal opportunity to play will be warned. If that team continues they will penalized by the Sports Committee.

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The Men's Homeless World Cup

The Men's tournament will see 48 countries compete for not one but six trophies. The tournament begins with eight groups, just like the FIFA World Cup. Each group is made up of six team who play 5 games each. Matches are comprised of two 7 minute halves in a 4v4 format. Three points are awarded for a Win, zero for a loss, two for a penalty win, and one point for a penalty loss.

After the first round the groups are reorganized into a second group stage based on the standings from the first group stage. The top 3 teams in each of the preliminary groups now advance to Section 1 of the second group stage. The rest of the teams are placed in Section 2. Teams will play another five games in the second group stage.

Preliminary Round Standings

Second Round

Once the second group stage is complete teams are placed in new groups for the final stage of the tournament. This stage is the Trophy Stage and each group will play for one of the six trophies. Both sections now take the standard format of Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and Finals. The trophies are as follows:

Section 1

• The Homeless World Cup (1st - 8th position)
• Dignitary Cup (9th - 16th position)
• City Cup (17th - 24th position)

Section 2

• Host Cup (25th - 32nd position)
• Community Cup (33rd - 40th positon)
• INSP Networking Trophy (41st - 48th position)

Each of the eight teams in every group will play three games in the Trophy Stage. The first round is the Quarter Finals. The Winners in the Quarter Finals advance to the "Winners Semi Finals", and the Losers advance to the "Losers Semi Finals". The two teams that win in the "Winners Semi Finals" advance to the Trophy Final. The Winners of the "Losers Semi Finals" advance and play for 3rd place. The rest of the teams will advance and play in the 5th/6th place game, and the 7th/8th place game.

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The Women's Homeless World Cup

This year's Women's Homeless World Cup will be the largest in history with 16 teams. The 16 teams are split up into two groups of 8. Each team will play 7 games in a 4v4 format. Just like the Men's tournament, matches will be comprised of two 7 minute halves in a 4v4 format. Points will also be the same: Three points are awarded for a Win, zero for a loss, two for a penalty win, and one point for a penalty loss. Teams will play for two trophies, The Women's Homeless World Cup, and the Women's Homeless World Cup Plate.

After the first round is complete the teams are placed in two sections. The top 4 teams in each groups will compete for the Women's Homeless World Cup. The remaining eight teams will compete for the Women's World Cup Plate. The tournament now takes the standard format of Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and Finals.

Again, just like the Men's tournament, each team will play three games. The first round is the Quarter Finals. Once again, the Winners in the Quarter Finals advance to the "Winners Semi Finals", and the Losers advance to the "Losers Semi Finals". The two teams that win in the "Winners Semi Finals" advance to the Trophy Final. The Winners of the "Losers Semi Finals" advance and play for 3rd place. The rest of the teams will advance and play in the 5th/6th place game, and the 7th/8th place game.

The tournament will run from August 21st to the 28th.

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