Soccer Aid 2026 LIVE
The Soccer Aid circus descends on east London this evening as England look to get their own back against the World XI and raise money for UNICEF. After falling to a frustrating 5-4 defeat at Old Trafford last year, the Three Lions will hope for brighter fortunes as they return to the nation’s capital.
As ever, two star-studded sides have been named for the match, with plenty of former professionals and other celebrities suiting up for the match. Legendary manager Harry Redknapp will return to his familiar spot in the England dugout, with Tom Hiddleston and Paddy McGuinness among the celebrities at his disposal. His opposite number will be the former Olympic champion Usain Bolt, who can call on the likes of comedian Maisie Adam and last year’s match winner Big Zuu.
As ever, there are some legends of the game taking to the pitch, too, with Wayne Rooney, Jack Wilshere and Joleon Lescott all set to roll back the years, as Adolescence actor Owen Cooper stands to become the event’s youngest-ever participant. Follow all the action from the London Stadium LIVE below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog!
Soccer Aid 2026 latest news and updates
- GOAL! Damson Idris lashes home opener
19:36 , Arthur Ferridge
This has already been a longer-than-average half-time break, but we are told that Robbie Williams will be on shortly. Good news for the Take That fans in your life. Let them know.
UNICEF FUNDRAISING UPDATE
19:35 , Arthur Ferridge
Soccer Aid 2026 has now raised £8,892,615 for UNICEF!
19:29 , Arthur Ferridge
Not absolutely clear when Robbie Williams will be coming on, mind.
Half-time show
19:21 , Arthur Ferridge
Lest we forget, there is a half-time show today!
Robbie Williams will be performing to celebrate Soccer Aid’s 20th anniversary.
Donate to Soccer Aid
19:18 , Arthur Ferridge
A reminder of what this is all for. Soccer Aid is taking place to raise money for UNICEF, the United Nations agency dedicated to supporting children and mothers.
HALF-TIME: England 1-0 World XI
19:15 , Arthur Ferridge
Damson Idris’ strike is the only difference come half-time. England with a narrow lead at the break.
England 1-0 World XI
19:15 , Arthur Ferridge
45mins: Rooney looses one from range, but Van der Sar catches it easily.
England 1-0 World XI
19:14 , Arthur Ferridge
Idris is held up by Essien as he looks to make a run into space, and Rooney remonstrates with the referee. He gets his way and a free-kick is awarded to England.
England 1-0 World XI
19:13 , Arthur Ferridge
43mins: Tom Grennan looks to play a pass into GK Barry, but she’s distracted taunting the crowd and lets it run out for a throw in.
England 1-0 World XI
19:12 , Arthur Ferridge
42mins: More England substitutions as Tom Hiddleston is hooked in favour of GK Barry. Not a sentence I ever expected to write when training to be a sports journalist, but here we are.
England 1-0 World XI
19:10 , Arthur Ferridge
40mins: Unreal from Rooney! He does all the hard work - a mazy dribble into the box to set up what would have been a stunning solo goal - but Van der Sar gets a crucial fingertip on the ball to push it onto the post!
England 1-0 World XI
19:09 , Arthur Ferridge
39mins: Berbatov has his shot blocked by Wilshere and it appears the ex-Arsenal man did so with his hand. Berbatov looks furious!
England 1-0 World XI
19:08 , Arthur Ferridge
38mins: Jordi Alba gets away and puts a very smart cross in for Nitro... but Lescott gets back in time to make a crucial intervention and deny him.
England 1-0 World XI
19:07 , Arthur Ferridge
37mins: Jordi Alba plucks an England cross-field ball out of the sky with a deft touch. The 37-year-old is not playing like a retiree!
England 1-0 World XI
19:04 , Arthur Ferridge
34mins: On viewing the replay, you wonder if VAR would have let that stand. Idris definitely looks to have strayed offside, but there are no video assistants working today.
GOAL! England 1-0 World XI | Idris '33
19:03 , Arthur Ferridge
Damson Idris opens the scoring! Lovely finish from the actor, who laces his shot - England’s first shot on target of the day - into the top left corner. Edwin van der Sar was helpless!
England 0-0 World XI
19:01 , Arthur Ferridge
31mins: Rooney makes a driving run forward, if you can call it a run. More of a jog, or perhaps a canter? Maybe a trot? Anyway.
He looks to play Idris in behind but there is something of a miscommunication between them and the move falls apart.
England 0-0 World XI
18:57 , Arthur Ferridge
27mins: Berbatov looks to dribble into the box and makes decent progress before being stopped short by a well-timed tackle from Tom Grennan.
England 0-0 World XI
18:55 , Arthur Ferridge
25mins: Tom Hiddleston is playing with his shirt tucked in. Classy player. Proper. Yet to have much sight of the ball, mind.
England 0-0 World XI
18:54 , Arthur Ferridge
24mins: The substitute Nitro is straight into the thick of it, spearheading a three-on-three attack, but he waits much too long to play his cross and the moment promptly passes.
England fly down the opposite end and Rooney gets a shot away, but it is always bending away from the goal and sails harmlessly behind.
England 0-0 World XI
18:53 , Arthur Ferridge
23mins: Changes for World XI too as Coster-Waldau is replaced by Nitro.
England 0-0 World XI
18:51 , Arthur Ferridge
21mins: Behzinga hits a nice cross for Rizwan and he attempts a spectacular bicycle kick... but his laces only find the chest of Angry Ginge. The streamer is fine to continue, though.
Substitutions - Hiddleston replaces Sam Thompson.
England 0-0 World XI
18:49 , Arthur Ferridge
19mins: Tom Hiddleston has been sent to warm up. Early substitutions on the cards from Redknapp, perhaps?
England 0-0 World XI
18:47 , Arthur Ferridge
18mins: Jack Wilshere is looking pretty spritely. You wonder if he’s been mixing it in some Luton training sessions.
England 0-0 World XI
18:46 , Arthur Ferridge
16mins: And another nice save from Hart as Behzinga gets on the ball in the area but doesn’t quite catch his shot right.
England 0-0 World XI
18:45 , Arthur Ferridge
14mins: Ooh, should that have been a penalty? Owen Cooper hacks down Dimitar Berbatov in the box and it looks to be a stonewall spot-kick, but the referee is not having it! The replay shows a big swing of the right leg from Cooper, he completely misses the ball and catches an awful lot of the Bulgarian striker. He’s really got away with one htere.
England 0-0 World XI
18:43 , Arthur Ferridge
14mins: I was expecting big things from Jordi Alba before this match and he gets his first sight of goal of the afternoon as he makes a marauding run down the left flank. He looks to chip Hart from the edge of the box, though, and hits the top of the goal.
England 0-0 World XI
18:42 , Arthur Ferridge
12mins: Nice football from England! Defoe plays Idris in behind and he opts to shoot from a tight angle but only meets the side netting.
England 0-0 World XI
18:41 , Arthur Ferridge
12mins: Another big chance for Rizwan, another big save from Hart! Will the World XI come to rue missing these early chances?
England 0-0 World XI
18:41 , Arthur Ferridge
11mins: Defoe blazes a shot over from range.
England 0-0 World XI
18:38 , Arthur Ferridge
9mins: Joe Hart rolls back the years with a smart save to deny Rizwan.
England 0-0 World XI
18:38 , Arthur Ferridge
8mins: Duggan makes a nice run forward but her cross for Defoe is too close to Van der Sar.
England 0-0 World XI
18:37 , Arthur Ferridge
7mins: Soccer Aid does tend to be something of a goalfest, so we should have a ball in the back of the net before too long.
England 0-0 World XI
18:36 , Arthur Ferridge
6mins: England certainly dominating possession in the early stages with Tom Grennan seeing an awful lot of the ball. He makes a driving run forward before being stopped in his tracks by Richard Gadd.
England 0-0 World XI
18:34 , Arthur Ferridge
4mins: Dimitar Berbatov skins Angry Ginge but trips over the ball before he can take advantage of the space.
England 0-0 World XI
18:33 , Arthur Ferridge
3mins: Damson Idris sends a searching ball towards Wayne Rooney, but Nemanja Matic cuts it out. That move started with a tackle from Cooper.
England 0-0 World XI
18:31 , Arthur Ferridge
1mins: Owen Cooper, Soccer Aid’s youngest ever player, gets his first touches on the ball and looks lively. He’ll be bringing down the average age of his squad considerably. Certainly one to watch.
KICK-OFF! England 0-0 World XI
18:30 , Arthur Ferridge
We’re off!
18:26 , Arthur Ferridge
Allen confirms that Soccer Aid 2026 has so far raised £4,646,971 for UNICEF!
We haven’t even kicked off yet!
18:25 , Arthur Ferridge
After a cute Toy Story-themed skit, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen bring the match ball out onto the pitch to rousing applause!
Hanks himself looks rather starstruck to meet Wayne Rooney.
Here we go...
18:21 , Arthur Ferridge
The players are making their way out onto the London Stadium pitch! Kick-off is imminent.
Sidebar - this is the first time Soccer Aid has ever been held at a Championship ground. Fancy that.
Team news reminder
18:20 , Arthur Ferridge
Here are our starting lineups once again, with ten minutes left until kick-off.
England XI: Hart, Cooper, Angry Ginge, Lescott, Thompson, Wilshere, Grennan, Danson, Rooney, Duggan, Defoe
World XI XI: Van der Sar; Coster-Waldau, Jordi Alba, Matic, Gadd, Kennedy, Beattie, Essien, Behzinga, Berbatov, Rizwan
Attention stattos
18:20 , Arthur Ferridge
Good news for the mathematically inclined Soccer Aid viewer. Today’s match will enjoy full statistical coverage from FotMob!
You can bet Harry Redknapp will be keeping a keen eye on the xG figures.
A big prediction
18:15 , Arthur Ferridge
Actress Olivia Colman, the president of UNICEF UK, has made her way to the pitch and predicted that this match will end “four love.”
Someone’s been watching Roland Garros this week!
The stars take to the pitch
18:10 , Arthur Ferridge
More celebrities arrive
18:08 , Arthur Ferridge
Tom Hanks is in attendance today!
He’s being interviewed by GK Barry, for reasons best known, and says he’s most excited to watch Robbie Williams. What content.
Half-time show plans
18:00 , Arthur Ferridge
Robbie Williams will stage a short half-time show at the London Stadium this afternoon.
The Take That singer was among Soccer Aid’s founders and is performing to mark the event’s 20th anniversary.
Olly Murs goes above and beyond
17:50 , Arthur Ferridge
Olly Murs might not have much in the legs for today’s match.
He ran, rowed, and cycled from Manchester to London over the past week to raise money for Unicef.
He conquered the 400km journey in five days and raised just shy of one million pounds.
The final total raised came in at £832,257 - a superb effort.
In any case, don’t expect him to be making many runs in behind today!
World XI
17:45 , Arthur Ferridge
England may have Joe Hart in goal, but his opposite number Edwin van der Sar is equally intimidating.
Dimitar Berbatov leads the line, with Chelsea and Manchester United great Nemanja Matic in behind. Who remembers his goal against Spurs at Wembley? What a hit that was, by the way.
Anyway - back to the matter at hand. there is a fascinating full-back pairing at play in the World XI, with Barcelona legend Jordi Alba on one side and Richard Gadd, the comedian who came up with ‘Baby Reindeer’, on the other.
I wonder which flank they’ll attack down?
England team news
17:42 , Arthur Ferridge
That is an impressive team from England.
Joe Hart between the sticks, Luton manager Jack Wilshere up top, not to mention Wayne Rooney.
Jermain Defoe is the all-time top goalscorer in Soccer Aid, and will hope to extend his lead here.
ENGLAND CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
17:36 , Arthur Ferridge
And here are the hosts, as selected by Harry Redknapp.
England XI: Hart, Cooper, Angry Ginge, Lescott, Thompson, Wilshere, Grennan, Danson, Rooney, Duggan, Defoe
WORLD XI CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
17:33 , Arthur Ferridge
Here’s the World XI starting lineup! The World XI XI, if you will.
World XI XI: Van der Sar; Coster-Waldau, Jordi Alba, Matic, Gadd, Kennedy, Beattie, Essien, Behzinga, Berbatov, Rizwan
How much does Soccer Aid raise for UNICEF?
17:30 , Arthur Ferridge
Soccer Aid is among the UK’s most successful fundraising initiatives.
The 2025 edition alone raised over £15million for UNICEF.
All 14 Soccer Aid stagings have generated over £121m between them.
Why isn't Luke Littler playing at Soccer Aid 2026?
17:20 , Arthur Ferridge
Darts phenom Luke Littler has shot to stardom over the past couple of years and says he would love to play at Soccer Aid.
So why isn’t he?
The 19-year-old said in an interview that he is afraid of breaking his all-important throwing arm.
“I would love to play the Soccer Aid but it’s just hard finding the time – and hopefully not breaking my arm!”
Stars en route
17:10 , Arthur Ferridge
Kick-off is not terribly far away now!
Suited and booted with @Primark 😎 pic.twitter.com/wKbzzMQumg
— Soccer Aid (@socceraid) May 31, 2026
Are tickets still available for Soccer Aid 2026?
17:00 , Arthur Ferridge
The London Stadium is SOLD OUT for Soccer Aid 2026!
That means some 68,000 people could be set to descend on Stratford this evening’s action.
England vs World XI head to head
16:50 , Arthur Ferridge
England wins: 6
World XI wins: 8
Soccer Aid 2026 coaching staff
16:40 , Arthur Ferridge
England
- Robbie Williams
- Harry Redknapp
- David Seaman
- Bradley Walsh
World XI
- Judi Love
- Usain Bolt
- Clarence Seedorf
World XI confirmed players
16:30 , Arthur Ferridge
Legends: Jordi Alba, Leonardo Bonucci, Lukas Podolski, Michael Essien, Gary Cahill, Dimitar Berbatov, Nemanja Matic, Ali Krieger, Edwin van der Sar, Jen Beattie
Celebrities: Behzinga, Dermot Kennedy, Maisie Adam, Nicky Byrne, Nitro, Chris O’Dowd, Simon Neil, Richard Gadd, Nikolaj Coster Waldau, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Molly McCann, TBJZL, Frankie Dettori
England confirmed players
16:20 , Arthur Ferridge
Legends: Steph Houghton, Toni Duggan, Joe Hart, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Joleon Lescott, Jack Wilshere, Jill Scott, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney
Celebrities: Joe Marler, GK Barry, Alex Brooker, Olly Murs, Sam Thompson, Jordan North, Jack Whitehall, Chloe Burrows, Angry Ginge, Damson Idris, Danny Dyer, Owen Cooper, Paddy McGuinness, Tom Hiddlestone, Jade Moore,
How to watch Soccer Aid 2026
16:10 , Arthur Ferridge
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live for free on ITV1, with coverage starting at 5.30pm.
Live stream: You can also stream the match for free on the ITVX website and app, as well as ITV’s YouTube channel.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Good afternoon
15:58 , Arthur Ferridge
Hello, and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Soccer Aid 2026!
The World XI came out on top at Old Trafford last year. Can Harry Redknapp lead England back to the title at the London Stadium?
All will be revealed! Stick with us for all the latest updates from the charity match.
