Muslim Hands is delighted to welcome the Pakistan Street Child Football Team to England following their inspiring participation in the prestigious Norway Cup 2025 – one of the world’s largest youth football tournaments.
The team, which is made up of street-connected children, are due to play a number of Premier League clubs’ foundation teams in the UK leg of their tour. They kicked off the tournament with a fixture against West Ham United Foundation’s ‘Second Chance’ football team, comprising of elite players aspiring to join the big UK clubs. During their weekend with the West Ham United Foundation, the team also took part in an interactive workshop, focused on player development, talent identification pathways and a practical football coaching session delivered by Rashid Abba – Academy Link Mentor at the Foundation’s new state-of-the-art facility, the Foundry. The match was attended by 300 spectators from across London and was followed by a dinner with the Pakistan team at London stadium, overlooking the iconic West Ham United’s football ground.
Rashid Abba told our team: “Growing our connections with people of South Asian heritage has been an on-going focus for West Ham United, reflecting our local community and wider reach. Through sport we break barriers, build friendships, inspire, and widen the net of opportunity for everyone. This visit has been about more than football, it’s a celebration of resilience, talent, and unity. Bringing together the Pakistan Street Child Football Team and the West ham United Foundation’s Under 17’s creates a powerful platform for cultural exchange, mutual respect, and personal growth.”
The UN estimates there to be over 100 million children living on the streets worldwide. Representing some of the most marginalised youth in Pakistan, the Muslim Hands Street Child team has been selected through a nationwide grassroots initiative under Muslim Hands’ flagship Sports for Development programme, which works with street-connected and out-of-school children to provide structured football training, education, life skills and safe spaces.
‘It was fantastic to see Team Pakistan really take the game in their stride against their first UK competitor on UK soil. It was an intense game, our boys dominated in lengthy periods, showcasing their technical abilities, flair, speed and intensity – finishing on a strong draw. We are extremely proud of their achievements and dedication, its testament that through sport; talent, dignity and dreams have no postcode, and that football is just the beginning. Through the Maidaan Street Child initiative, we have provided birth certificates, granting crucial access to healthcare, education and other basic rights for over 65,000 children and enrolled over 100,000 children in school.’ Arslan Nusrat, Director of Global Operations at Muslim Hands.
The team competed at the Norway Cup from 25th July to 3rd August, reaching the quarter finals to represent Pakistan on a global stage. This was Team Pakistan’s 5th year competing with football teams across 50 countries worldwide. The tournament provides a platform not only for athletic excellence but also for cultural exchange and international solidarity.
17 year-old Kashif Shinwari, part of Team Pakistan said: ‘When I was in fifth grade, I had to drop out of school and start working in a hotel to make ends meet for my family. Whilst I worked, I would get three hours off per day and my love of football would shine through during these hours. One of the previous players of the Pakistan team saw my talent and suggested I take part in the upcoming trials. For Norway World Cup 2024 I was in the top 15 out of 100 children to be selected. During the tournament I scored eight goals, became top scorer and we just missed out on the semi-finals. There is a lot of talent in Pakistan, it’s the shortage of facilities for children to reach their potential. I will keep working and training hard so that I make it to the Pakistan National Team.’
