World Cup fever has gripped Mexico City and Casa Frida, Refugio LGBTI+ is ensuring LGBTI+ migrants have a continued place in the beautiful game originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Mexico City welcomed the world’s attention as it hostedthe World Cup’s opening match on June 11, with the host nation seeing off South Africa 2-0 at the Estadio Azteca through goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez.
The result handed Mexico a winning start to their campaign and made the Azteca the first stadium to stage three World Cup opening matches.
During the World Cup summer of soccer, the Mexico City sporting continues to demonstrate its ability to inspire far beyond the pitch.
Mexico City also hosted Mexico’s final group-stage match against Czechia on June 24, followed by a standout Round of 16 clash against England.
Following England’s triumph at the Azteca stadium, Thomas Tuchel’s men are preparing to face Norway in the quarter-finals, and attention has now shifted to other host cities. However, one Mexico City based nonprofit is ensuring that World Cup fever continues to reach communities who are often excluded from traditional sporting opportunities.
As a recently announced project partner of the Play Collective, Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+ is expanding its efforts to provide comprehensive care and shelter to LGBTI+ people in vulnerable situations in Mexico.
MORE: What is Play Collective?
Play Collective is a joint initiative of the adidas Foundation, Beyond Sport and Common Goal, and Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+ is one of 21 selected organizations taking part.
The program is supporting a variety of community sport organizations that are providing inclusive, youth-centred programming and operate within the region of a FIFA World Cup 2026 host city.
Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+ will use the additional resources provided through Play Collective to ensure that LGBTIQ+ youth have safe, dignified and inclusive environments to access their human right to movement.
Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+ builds on Copa Migrante LGBTIQ+ to connect sport, inclusion and belonging
Aided by Play Collective funding and capacity-building support over three years, Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+ will strengthen and expand The Copa Migrante LGBTI+ into a sustained community space that connects sport, inclusion and a sense of belonging in public space with a migrant identity at its heart.
The Copa Migrante LGBTIQ+ is an event run in Mexico City each year and, using sport as a tool, Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+ creates a safe space for migrants who are facing intersectional discrimination along their migration routes. The inclusive community event combines a variety of sports and events including sessions on mental health, resilience and identity which combine to support the integration of LGBTI+ youth throughout Mexico City.
Building on the success of the annual event and with the support of Play Collective, Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+ are ready to build a permanent centre to increase their reach and impact.
As well as establishing a permanent space alongside the tournament, the organization will document the lessons it learns along the way, building a model that can be adapted and carried into new communities.
Founded in 2020 by activist Raul Caporal, Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+ began as a single refuge during the pandemic and has since grown into an organization with sites in Mexico City, Tapachula on the Guatemalan border and Monterrey. It accompanies LGBTI+ people, many of them migrants and refugees, who have been forced from their homes by violence, and its work spans humanitarian aid, psychosocial care, legal accompaniment and pathways into dignified work.
‘Until the world is our refuge’ — Legacy planning post World Cup
The world’s biggest sporting events often leave behind discussions about infrastructure, impact and legacy, and this summer is no different.
For non-profit organizations like Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+, the Play Collective partnership will allow them to expand further. In just five years, it has grown from a single shelter into a refuge with three sites across the country, supporting people who often have nowhere else to turn, and they are not done yet.
Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+’s guiding vision is captured in its own words, “Hasta que el mundo sea nuestro refugio,” which translates into English as “until the world is our refuge.”
The next stage will pursue that vision through the universal language and love of soccer, using the game to create space and belonging for people who are too often pushed to the sides.
At a time when soccer has been celebrated in Mexico City, across World Cup group games and through the knockout rounds, Casa Frida Refugio LGBTI+’s work serves as a reminder that the impact of sport is beyond the cancha de fútbol.
About the Author
