The Atlanta United Unified Team presented by Gallagher has traveled to Houston, Texas to participate in the Genuine World Cup, an international competition with teams from over 30 countries, that raises awareness for the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and autism. This is the first time Atlanta's Unified Team participates in an internationally renowned competition, and they will be one of the only two MLS teams in the tournament.
What is the Genuine World Cup?
In 2017, Spanish sports club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, organized the Champions Genuine, an international soccer tournament for people with intellectual disabilities. In the same year, LaLiga Genuine was born, the first official soccer league in the world consisting of teams of people with intellectual disabilities, organized through the LaLiga Foundation. The Genuine World Cup was the league’s inaugural event.
The inaugural Genuine World Cup 2024 (GWC) was held on August 3, 2024 in Houston, Texas, raising awareness for the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and autism. GWC offers an opportunity to experience the values of ‘genuine soccer’ through a 12-team tournament featuring athletes with intellectual or neurological differences.
Teams for the inaugural season included Houston Dynamo FC, Inter Miami and Special Olympics Texas from the US; Club Tigres, Querétaro FC and Mexico DI National Team, Sporting Clube de Portugal and SL Benfica from Portugal; and Athletic Club Fundazioa, Fundació Barça, Valencia CF and Nàstic de Tarragona from Spain.
You can follow the competition on Atlanta United's Digital platforms.
What teams will be participating in the 2025 edition of the Genuine World Cup?
There will be a total of 38 teams participating in the 2025 edition of the tournament. Atlanta United and Inter Miami CF are the only two MLS clubs with representation in the competition.
Europe has the majority of participants, including soccer powerhouses FC Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma and Atlanta United's first opponent in the tournament, Ajax. South American clubs such as Boca Juniors and Corinthians are also among the participating clubs.
There are also a few national representatives, such as a team from the Mexican Federation and the Puerto Rican Federation. See the list below for all participating teams:
North America | Europe | South America | Asia |
|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta United | FC Barcelona (ESP) | Boca Juniors (ARG) | Seoul FC (KOR) |
C.S.D. Municipal (GUA | Manchester City (ENG) | Racing Club (ARG) | Yokohama Marinos (JPN) |
Club América (MEX) | Benfica (POR) | Peñarol (URU) | |
México (MEX) | Newcastle United (ENG) | FADIM (ARG) | |
United Genuine FC (USA) | Manchester United (ENG) | Corinthians (BRA) | |
Tigres UANL (MEX) | Valencia FC (ESP) | ||
Querétaro FC (MEX) | Werder Bremen (GER) | ||
Puerto Rico (PR) | Sporting Clube (POR) | ||
Inter Miami CF | Hungary Team (HUN) | ||
Rangers FC (SCO) | |||
Paris St. Germain (FRA) | |||
Gimnástic de Tarragona (ESP) | |||
Śląsk Wrocław (POL) | |||
Internazionale (ITA) | |||
Ajax (NED) | |||
Western Australia (AUS) | |||
Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | |||
Club Brugge SV (BEL) | |||
AS Roma (ITA) | |||
Athletic Club (ESP) | |||
Power Team Croatia (CRO) | |||
Kautech (ITA) |
Who's Atlanta United playing against?
Atlanta United Unified will play their first match of the competition vs Dutch powehouse Ajax on Tuesday, July 29 (time TBD). Depending on the result of that match, we will know who Atlanta's next opponent is.
Here are a few more things to know about the Atlanta United Unified Team:
What is the Unified program, and when did it begin in Atlanta?
The Unified program is a league-wide initiative that began in 2013 as a part of MLS Works, Major League Soccer’s community outreach program, in partnership with Special Olympics North America (SONA). The goal of the program was to bring soccer to athletes with intellectual disabilities.
For Atlanta, the Unified Team has been baked into the club's identity since the very beginning. When Atlanta United joined the league as an expansion side in 2017, Unified already existed in MLS. Atlanta United’s founding president Darren Eales and current Director of Community Engagement Marissa Ahrens were both passionate about Atlanta having a Unified Team and made it a priority for the new club.
The Atlanta United Unified Team played its first season in 2017, just like the first team. That first year, there were 14 members and the team played two matches, one home and one away against Orlando City SC.
Atlanta United remains undefeated over the last two seasons and in 2025 has one win, two draws and one more home match pending August 24 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium vs Toronto FC to close out the Unified season.
Who’s on the Unified roster?
The Unified team includes a combination of individuals with intellectual disabilities (Special Olympics athletes) and individuals without intellectual disabilities (Unified partners) as members of one team. This year, the team consists of eight athletes and 10 partners. Athletes are in the age range of 16-25. Since 2022, the team has held tryouts, which are open to anyone who wanted to join.
Like the first team, the group wears matching gear for training sessions. For matches, the Unified team is outfitted in authentic uniforms provided by adidas. During one of the first training sessions of the year, players were surprised before practice at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. All the players received personalized travel bags and training gear.
For the Genuine World Cup, only Special Olympics athletes are elegible to play.
