In the spirit of the World Cup: Over 600 children from 21 cities participate in the “Fußball trifft Kultur” final tournament

While the soccer world’s attention is focused on the World Cup in North and South America, around 600 children experienced their very own highlight at the grand finale tournament of the “Fußball trifft Kultur” (FtK) educational program. Participants from 21 cities traveled to the Riedstadion in Frankfurt-Enkheim to compete for the coveted trophies in the U10, U12, and U14 age groups—as part of this year’s FtK World Cup 26 Challenge, in which the children engaged with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a playful and creative way throughout the school year.

The tournament was made possible by funding from the DFL Foundation. This year, Anton Schumacher, educational director of Eintracht Frankfurt’s youth academy, served as tournament director. Colin Mahnke, stadium announcer for SV Darmstadt 98, hosted the event.

Educational program combines soccer with language and culture

The 16th “Fußball trifft Kultur” (FtK) final tournament marks the culmination of an inclusive educational program that reaches approximately 750 children nationwide. At 33 locations, “Fußball trifft Kultur” combines soccer training with language and skills development twice a week. In cooperation with professional clubs in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, additional learning and experiential opportunities are created—ranging from stadium visits to children’s press conferences.

The program is aimed in particular at children who often find regular school instruction less engaging and who benefit greatly from additional support in language, physical activity, and cultural education. This three-pronged educational approach provides lasting motivation and yields tangible results.

WM26 Challenge: The World Cup as a Learning Opportunity

This year, the World Cup served as an additional learning and motivational opportunity. As part of the FtK-WM26 Challenge, the children explored topics related to the tournament—from participating nations to values such as diversity, fair play, and respect, all the way to their own creative projects. The glass trophies for the winners of the FtK-WM26 Challenge were awarded on-site in Frankfurt during the tournament. The winners were also delighted to receive new soccer balls.

Tournament Winners, Fair Play Awards, and All-Star Teams—This Year’s Winners*

The end-of-school-year tournament exemplifies the program’s inclusive approach: Through the unifying power of soccer, children from a wide variety of backgrounds come together, compete on behalf of their partner clubs, and showcase the skills they’ve developed over the course of the year—thereby providing a firsthand experience of camaraderie, fair play, and team spirit.

The excitement was especially high this year at these three schools—they won the tournament and, with it, the coveted challenge cup:

U10: An der Glinder Au Elementary School in Hamburg, partner club FC St. Pauli

U12: IGS Mainz-Bretzenheim from Mainz, partner club of 1. FSV Mainz 05

U14: Werner-von-Siemens School in Bochum, partner club VfL Bochum 1848

As is tradition, the fairest teams in the tournament were also awarded the Fair Play Trophy. This year, the award went to the Michael-Ende-Schule from Frankfurt (U10), the Gesamtschule Essen Nord from Essen (U12), and the Pestalozzi-Mittelschule from Würzburg (U14). Another honor was presented for only the second time: In each age group, children were selected for the All-Star Team. The evaluation took into account not only their soccer performance but also their conduct on and off the field.

Dr. Nadine Seddig, Head of Programs and Grant Management at the DFL Foundation—which has been supporting “Fußball trifft Kultur” as a nationwide partner since 2012—is convinced of the program’s approach: “Recent studies show that more and more children in Germany are leaving elementary school without adequate reading and writing skills. ‘Fußball trifft Kultur’ addresses this issue head-on and specifically targets educationally disadvantaged children. We have supported the program for many years because soccer creates low-barrier access, motivates participants, and, when combined with language and cultural support, has a lasting impact. The final tournament was once again a special highlight this year, with the children participating with great enthusiasm, team spirit, and a true sense of fair play.”

Karin Plötz, director of LitCam gGmbH, which has been implementing the inclusive education program since 2007, also offered a positive assessment: “The final tournament is and remains the highlight of the FtK program year for the children. The motivation to play for the FtK Cup on this day while wearing the jersey of their favorite club makes it easier for the children to attend the extra classes and soccer practice twice a week. In the truest sense of the word, they learn not only German but also respect, fairness, and team spirit—skills that will empower them for their future.”

In the spirit of the World Cup: Over 600 children from 21 cities participate in the “Fußball trifft Kultur” final tournament

Frankfurt, June 15, 2026: While the soccer world’s attention is focused on the World Cup in North and South America, around 600 children experienced their very own highlight at the grand finale tournament of the “Fußball trifft Kultur” (FtK) educational program. Participants from 21 cities traveled to the Riedstadion in Frankfurt-Enkheim to compete for the coveted trophies in the U10, U12, and U14 age groups—as part of this year’s FtK World Cup 26 Challenge, in which the children engaged with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a playful and creative way throughout the school year.

The tournament was made possible by funding from the DFL Foundation. This year, Anton Schumacher, educational director of Eintracht Frankfurt’s youth academy, served as tournament director. Colin Mahnke, stadium announcer for SV Darmstadt 98, hosted the event.

Educational program combines soccer with language and culture

The 16th “Fußball trifft Kultur” (FtK) final tournament marks the culmination of an inclusive educational program that reaches approximately 750 children nationwide. At 33 locations, “Fußball trifft Kultur” combines soccer training with language and skills development twice a week. In cooperation with professional clubs in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, additional learning and experiential opportunities are created—ranging from stadium visits to children’s press conferences.

WM26 Challenge: The World Cup as a Learning Opportunity

This year, the World Cup served as an additional learning and motivational opportunity. As part of the FtK-WM26 Challenge, the children explored topics related to the tournament—from participating nations to values such as diversity, fair play, and respect, all the way to their own creative projects. The glass trophies for the winners of the FtK-WM26 Challenge were awarded on-site in Frankfurt during the tournament. The winners were also delighted to receive new soccer balls.

Tournament Winners, Fair Play Awards, and All-Star Teams—This Year’s Winners*

The end-of-school-year tournament exemplifies the program’s inclusive approach: Through the unifying power of soccer, children from a wide variety of backgrounds come together, compete for their partner clubs, and showcase the skills they’ve developed over the year—thereby bringing a sense of unity, fair play, and team spirit to life. The excitement was particularly high this year at these three schools—they won the tournament and, with it, the coveted challenge cup:

U10: An der Glinder Au Elementary School in Hamburg, partner club FC St. Pauli

U12: IGS Mainz-Bretzenheim from Mainz, partner club of 1. FSV Mainz 05

U14: Werner-von-Siemens School in Bochum, partner club VfL Bochum 1848

As is tradition, the fairest teams in the tournament were also awarded the Fair Play Trophy. This year, the award went to the Michael-Ende-Schule from Frankfurt (U10), the Gesamtschule Essen Nord from Essen (U12), and the Pestalozzi-Mittelschule from Würzburg (U14). Another honor was presented for only the second time: In each age group, children were selected for the All-Star Team. The evaluation took into account not only their soccer performance but also their conduct on and off the field.

Dr. Nadine Seddig, Head of Programs and Grant Management at the DFL Foundation—which has been supporting “Fußball trifft Kultur” as a nationwide partner since 2012—is convinced of the program’s approach: “Recent studies show that more and more children in Germany are leaving elementary school without adequate reading and writing skills. ‘Fußball trifft Kultur’ addresses this issue head-on and specifically targets educationally disadvantaged children. We have supported the program for many years because soccer creates low-barrier access, motivates participants, and, when combined with language and cultural support, has a lasting impact. The final tournament was once again a special highlight this year, with the children participating with great enthusiasm, team spirit, and a true sense of fair play.”

Karin Plötz, director of LitCam gGmbH, which has been implementing the inclusive education program since 2007, also offered a positive assessment: “The final tournament is and remains the highlight of the FtK program year for the children. The motivation to play for the FtK Cup on this day while wearing the jersey of their favorite club makes it easier for the children to attend the extra classes and soccer practice twice a week. In the truest sense of the word, they learn not only German but also respect, fairness, and team spirit—skills that will empower them for their future.”

Copyright: DFL Foundation/Witters

 

The “Fußball trifft Kultur” World Cup 26 Challenge

The “Fußball trifft Kultur” World Cup 26 Challenge

The “Fußball trifft Kultur Final Tournament” will take place on June 13 and 14, 2026 in Frankfurt in the run-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The host countries for the games are the USA, Mexico and Canada. In addition to their respective clubs, the program groups of the respective FtK locations will also present a country drawn by lot at the final tournament this year. This can take the form of a run-in with the corresponding country flag, for example.

The draw:

Together with mascot Litti, presenter Tim Gailus and LitCam Director Karin Plötz, a draw was held in the run-up to the final “Fußball trifft Kultur” tournament. Each program location was assigned one of the countries qualified for the World Cup. The program groups then received the corresponding country flags by post so that they could start their preparations.

Photo credit: Patrick Klaus

The task:

The FtK program groups have until May 6 to deal with the content of their country and develop a creative presentation. There are no limits to the children’s creativity. The creative elaboration should then be sent to LitCam in the form of a photo of what has been created and, if applicable, a short video (maximum 1:00 minute long) in which the children present their ideas. The posts submitted will then be judged by a jury according to the criteria of creativity, content and presentation.

The jury:

The jury is divided into two groups. The first group evaluates the work of the U10 FtK groups and the second group evaluates the work of the U14 FtK groups. The following people are part of the jury:

Jury for the U10 submissions

  • Tim Gailus, KIKA presenter
  • Matthias Mühlen, VFL Bochum Management Board
  • Phillipp Mwene, professional footballer Mainz 05, Austrian national player and Laureus Sport for Good ambassador
  • Julia Schilling, Co-Managing Director Laureus Sport for Good Germany & Austria
  • Karin Plötz, Director LitCam gGmbH

Jury for the U14 submissions

  • Franziska Fey, Chairwoman of the Board of the DFL Foundation
  • Brigitte Hirschler, Head of the Foundation and Competitions Department, Hessian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs
  • Jonas Kozinowski, Managing Director of Feinherb Medien and soccer book author
  • Anton Schumacher, Head of Pedagogy and Sports Boarding School (NLZ) Eintracht Frankfurt
  • Elvis Rexhbecaj, professional soccer player FC Augsburg, national player Kosovo
  • Karin Plötz, Director LitCam gGmbH

Final tournament of “Fußball trifft Kultur” with over 600 children from 23 cities

Darmstadt, 10.06.2024 – Team spirit, fun and fair play – that was the motto of the “Fußball trifft Kultur” (FtK) final tournament 2024. Around 600 participants in the integrative educational program “Fußball trifft Kultur” travelled to Darmstadt from all over Germany to compete for the coveted trophies in the U10 and U14 age groups.

The 14th FtK final tournament was more than just a sporting showdown. The event is the annual highlight of the educational program, which offers the more than 700 participants not only soccer training but also skills training, in particular language development. Training and learning takes place twice a week in two halves at 23 locations across Germany. The special feature: The program takes place in cooperation with professional clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. They provide a coach for the weekly program and promote the motivation of the participating children through their charisma and unique events such as children’s press conferences, stadium tours or match visits. In this way, “Fußball trifft Kultur” reaches children from educationally disadvantaged social backgrounds in particular, who often feel less addressed by regular school lessons and therefore benefit particularly from the additional support of language, exercise and culture. Florian Holzbrecher, Head of Events & CSR at the host of the final tournament SV Darmstadt 98, describes how “Fußball trifft Kultur” supports the children in the respective locations as follows: “We provide a coach for the weekly program and promote the motivation of the participating children through the charisma of the club and unique events such as children’s press conferences, stadium tours or match visits. It’s great to see how the kids, led by our coach Nils Buhr and teacher Ben Schneider, not only learn in terms of content, but also grow together as a real team and act like one.”

The final tournament in Darmstadt is also representative of the integrative nature of the educational program. United by the motivating power of soccer, children from a wide range of countries came together for a big soccer festival in which they were able to represent the colors of their respective partner clubs. The participants not only demonstrated the progress they have made in soccer over the past year, but also experienced solidarity, fair play and teamwork at first hand. The groups from the Grundschule an der Glinder Au (U10) and Herbert-Grillo-Gesamtschule (U14) were particularly pleased to win on behalf of FC St. Pauli and MSV Duisburg and raise the coveted challenge cup to the sky in Darmstadt. The groups from Braunschweig (Diesterwegstraße elementary school) and Mainz (IGS Mainz Bretzenheim) were given a special honor when they were awarded the Fair Play Cup for their exemplary behavior.

In addition, a special award was on the program in the year of the European Football Championship in Germany: As part of the FtK-EuropeChallenge, the children spent the past six months exploring different European countries and their cultures.
The results were evaluated by a jury consisting of Matthias Bader (professional footballer at SV Darmstadt 98 and FtK program sponsor), Franziska Fey (Chairwoman of the DFL Foundation), Jonas Kozinowski (author of “Was ist Was – Fußball”), Karin Plötz (Director of LitCam) and Anton Schumacher (Head of Education at Eintracht Frankfurt’s youth development center) and were awarded prizes at the final tournament.
The winners from the Grundschule an der Glinder Au were delighted.

The various exercise stations also provided variety, where children and visitors were able to put their soccer skills to the test at a goal wall and a shot measuring system, among other things, and grow together as a team in various group games.
Dr Nadine Seddig, Head of Programs and Funding Management, who has been supporting FtK with the DFL Foundation as a nationwide partner since 2012, emphasized the central role of the tournament in the success of the project: “The final tournament is the absolute highlight of the FtK program every year. The great anticipation of the participating children is palpable for everyone and the atmosphere on site is characterized by great togetherness. It’s always great to see how everyone comes together to play soccer, have fun and achieve a goal as a team. That makes the tournament a great success again this year!”

Karin Plötz, Director of LitCam gGmbH, which has been implementing the integrative education program since 2007, also drew a positive conclusion: “This year’s final tournament was once again the absolute highlight of the “Fußball trifft Kultur” program year. The children love showing what they can do by playing soccer. And they experience how important team spirit, fairness and respect are. They are proud to be part of such a big tournament. It’s an unforgettable experience for all the kids.”

The final placings:

U10

1st place: Grundschule an der Glinder Au, Hamburg

2nd place: GGS Flurstraße, Düsseldorf

3rd place: Fasanenhofschule, Stuttgart

4th place: GGS Lustheider Straße, Cologne

U14

1st place: Herbert-Grillo-Schule II, Duisburg

2nd place: Anne-Frank-Schule I, Dortmund

3rd place: IGS Bretzenheim, Mainz

4th place: Bärenkeller II secondary school, Augsburg

Final tournament of “Fußball trifft Kultur” with over 500 children from 23 cities

Abschlussturnier 2023 Fußball trifft Kultur
Abschlussturnier 2023 Fußball trifft Kultur

Duisburg, 09.06.2023 – Team spirit, fun and fair play – that was the motto of the “Fußball trifft Kultur” (FtK) final tournament in 2023. Around 500 participants in the integrative education program “Fußball trifft Kultur” travelled to Duisburg from all over Germany to compete for the coveted trophies in the U10 and U14 age groups.

The 13th FtK final tournament was more than just a sporting showdown. The event is the annual highlight of the educational program, which offers the more than 700 participants nationwide not only soccer training but also skills training, in particular language development. Training and learning takes place twice a week in two halves at 23 locations across Germany. The special feature: The program takes place in cooperation with professional clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. They provide a coach for the weekly program and promote the motivation of the participating children through their charisma and unique events such as children’s press conferences, stadium tours or match visits. In this way, “Fußball trifft Kultur” reaches children from educationally disadvantaged social backgrounds in particular, who often feel less addressed by regular school lessons and therefore benefit particularly from the additional language, exercise and cultural support.

The final tournament in Duisburg is also representative of the integrative nature of the educational program. United by the motivating power of soccer, children from a wide range of countries came together for a big soccer festival in which they were able to represent the colors of their respective partner clubs. The participants not only demonstrated the progress they have made in soccer over the past year, but also experienced solidarity, fair play and teamwork at first hand. The groups from An der Glinder Au elementary school (U10) and Michael-Ende-Schule (U14) were particularly pleased to represent FC St. Pauli and Eintracht Frankfurt, winning the coveted challenge cup and raising it to the sky in Duisburg.

Abschlussturnier 2023 Fußball trifft Kultur
Abschlussturnier 2023 Fußball trifft Kultur
Abschlussturnier 2023 Fußball trifft Kultur

The trophies were presented by Franziska Fey (CEO of the DFL Foundation), Nikolai Hirt (Project Manager Ruhr Games) and Florian Gärtner (Administrative Director of the MSV Duisburg youth training center), among others. Franziska Fey, who has been supporting FtK with the DFL Foundation as a nationwide partner since 2012, emphasized the central role of the tournament in the project’s success: “The final FtK tournament is the big highlight of the programme for everyone. It motivates the children throughout the school year to improve their soccer skills and to participate in the skills training with great perseverance. Here they can experience and prove themselves as a team. It’s great to see how enthusiastic and committed the children, teachers and helpers were at the tournament.”

The Ruhr Regional Association supported the final FtK tournament for the second time and made it possible to hold the event as part of the Ruhr Games. Nikolai Hirt was delighted with the success of the tournament: “Fußball trifft Kultur” combines the important topics of education, integration and exercise in a particularly motivating way. At today’s final tournament, we were able to experience at first hand how the children demonstrate fair play, team spirit and a sense of community. We are therefore delighted to be able to support this fantastic event through our cooperation with the Ruhr Games.”

MSV Duisburg has been supporting the educational program since 2015 with a program location at the Herbert Grillo Comprehensive School in Duisburg and hosted the FtK final tournament for the second time at its youth academy: “We were delighted to host the FtK final tournament again this year. It was incredibly nice to see how enthusiastic the children were about the tournament. It’s moments like these that make you realize how valuable social programs like “Fußball trifft Kultur” are for the children involved. We are therefore all the more pleased to support “Fußball trifft Kultur” not only as part of the tournament, but also with our program location at the Herbert Grillo Comprehensive School in Duisburg Marxloh.”

Karin Plötz, Director of LitCam gGmbH, which has been implementing the integrative education program since 2007, also drew a positive conclusion: “It was great to see the great commitment of the children who took part in the tournament – despite the heat. We have two great days of exciting and high-class matches behind us. It was particularly nice to see that, despite all the sporting ambition, fair play and team spirit were the focus and that even less successful teams had a lot of fun. This is also reflected in the feedback from the participants, who are already looking forward to the next tournament.”

Abschlussturnier 2023 Fußball trifft Kultur
Abschlussturnier 2023 Fußball trifft Kultur

The final placings:

U10

1st place: Schule An der Glinder Au, Hamburg
2.2nd place: Karmeliterschule, Frankfurt
3.Place: Goethe-Grundschule, Mainz
4. 4thplace: Regenbogenschule II, Gelsenkirchen

U14

1st place: Michael-Ende-Schule, Frankfurt
2.Place: Bernhard-Adelung-Schule/Ernst-Elias-Niebergallschule, Darmstadt
3.Place: Anne-Frank-Gesamtschule II, Dortmund
4. 4thplace: Herbert-Grillo-Gesamtschule, Duisburg

“Fußball trifft Kultur” turns 15 years old

Two weeks ago, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of “Fußball trifft Kultur” together with our friends and supporters.
We are taking this as an opportunity to look back on the success story in a short flashback.

Together, more than 250 of our teachers and coaches have been able to support over 3,600 children on their educational journey.
The special thing about “Fußball trifft Kultur” was its socially sustainable focus from the very beginning: firstly, our program participants take part in the program for two years.
Over this period, the children receive over 17,000 minutes of support through our triad of language, soccer and culture.
Secondly, the program does not provide selective impulses, but supports the children in the groundbreaking two years before and after the transition from primary to secondary school.

Although “Fußball trifft Kultur” has already been running for 15 years and has always served a great need, the program has never been as relevant as it is today in the wake of the continuous and increasing educational shortcomings in Germany – “Fußball trifft Kultur” makes a targeted contribution to compensating for the everyday building blocks of children and young people that have been significantly lost or neglected even during the pandemic.
The holistic approach to school improvement, exercise and social interaction offers children a toolbox for their further personal development.

The overarching goal of “Fußball trifft Kultur” will always remain to make an important post for more educational equality and equal opportunities in Germany.
Many thanks to all our partners who support us on this journey!

© Header: DFL Foundation / Guido Kirchner; 2010: Thorsten Wagner; 2012: Andreas Schröder; 2013: Nadine Rupp; 2015: DFL Foundation; 2018, 2019: DFL Foundation / Guido Kirchner; 2020: DFL Foundation / Thorsten Wagner; 2014, 2021, 2022: LitCam / Witters / Jörg Halisch