Christian charity Hope Together UK is encouraging churches and individuals across the UK to seize what it describes as “the biggest mission opportunity” during this summer’s FIFA World Cup, with the launch of a new football-themed outreach resource.
With more than half of the global population expected to follow the tournament and close to two-thirds of people in the UK likely to watch, Hope Together says the competition presents a unique moment to engage communities in conversations about faith in Jesus.
Football remains the nation’s most-played sport, and the organisation noted that a rising number of professional players have become more open about how their Christian faith influences both their lives and careers.
Street interviews featured in a promotional video for the campaign suggested strong enthusiasm among members of the public, many of whom said they planned to watch the matches and support teams such as England, Colombia and others.
To coincide with the tournament, Hope Together has unveiled the “Football Gospel”, a specially designed evangelism resource titled Goal of Life featuring the Gospel of Mark alongside football-themed content and the testimony of former professional footballer Daryl Robson.
Robson, who joined the academy of Middlesbrough FC at the age of 9, said football had become the centre of his identity from a young age.
Despite fulfilling his dream of signing professionally and later joining Galway United, he described struggling with severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression.
He said: “My god was football. But in my teenage years, my mind was like a washing machine … I suppressed all my mental health issues and looked to escape. It left me with a gaping hole in my soul.”
After being released by Middlesbrough at 18 and later sidelined by injury in Ireland, where he had signed a pro contract with Galway United, Robson said he spiralled into destructive behaviours, including alcohol abuse, gambling and sex, while wrestling with feelings of emptiness and hopelessness.
He shared: “Not being able to play when I had built my whole life around playing football left me feeling lost and empty … I was in a cycle of living in nightclubs and parties, often returning home at 6am and questioning the purpose of my life. I would ask myself, "Is there more to life than this?"
He said his uncle, a former heroin addict whose life had been transformed through faith, often prayed for him, but he was resistant to Christianity at the time.
Robson recounted a turning point after attending church one Sunday morning following a night out.
There, he said he heard the message of Jesus for the first time in a way that transformed his life.
He said: “For the first time, I heard that Jesus loved me, that he died for me, and that he could set me free from the fear of death. I didn’t understand everything, but I responded to the call to repent of my sin and trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.”
Robson said his decision to follow Christ brought him peace and freedom from fear, changing both his outlook on life and his approach to football.
He added: “It was like a spiritual veil had come down over my eyes. I recognised that the choices I was making were destroying me. I had made a god out of football, and I couldn’t build my life on it anymore.
“I was a brand-new man in Christ. My heart changed, my mind changed, and my life changed. I was finally set free to play football without fear.”
Now a pastor, Robson later founded F3, a ministry aimed at helping footballers discover faith in Jesus and grow spiritually while pursuing their sporting careers.
Hope Together is encouraging supporters to distribute copies of Goal in Life in everyday settings, including pubs, community watch parties, barbecues and local football pitches, using the World Cup as a natural conversation starter.
The resource is currently available to pre-order, with delivery beginning on 13 May. Bulk orders are being offered from 85p per copy for a limited early-bird period.
The Football Gospel initiative forms part of Hope Together’s wider “Great Gospel Giveaway” campaign, which aims to place 100,000 copies of the Gospel into the hands of non-Christians across the UK by the end of 2026.
Hope Together cited research showing that 47% of Christians said reading the Bible played a key role in their journey to faith.
As part of the wider campaign, churches are being encouraged to pray, train outreach teams and explore practical methods of distribution, including one-to-one conversations, street outreach, door-to-door evangelism and community events.
Supporters are also being invited to donate towards the campaign to help meet the 100,000-copy target.
Hope Together said it hopes the World Cup campaign will help thousands more people encounter the Christian message through the nation’s love of football.
