Atlético de Madrid To Host Champions League's Most Inclusive Match
Atlético de Madrid will take a historic step towards inclusion in football on 23rd October, during their Champions League qualifying match against Lille.
The club will transform this encounter into the “Inclusive Match,” an unprecedented initiative that aims to turn the Riyadh Air Metropolitano into a model of accessibility and inclusion.
This initiative, the result of collaboration between World Football Summit, Atlético de Madrid, Diario As, NGOs Integrated Dreams, and AccesibAll, and with the support of the Spanish Government, aspires to establish a new standard of inclusion in professional football.
The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, will be the ambassador of this special event, which will also feature the presence of Sara Holmgren, UEFA Social Sustainability expert, and Miguel Sagarra, Secretary General of the Spanish Paralympic Committee.
Associations and schools with people with disabilities can request reduced-price tickets through inclusion@atleticodemadrid.com.
The celebration of the match, which seeks to highlight accessibility in stadiums, continues the legacy of the previous edition, in which Real Betis Balompié and Real Valladolid participated during a LALIGA match, with the attendance of 1,740 people with functional diversity, setting a new world record.
This year’s Inclusive Match hopes to reaffirm the football industry’s commitment to inclusion and diversity.
World Football Summit’s Commitment to Inclusion
The initiative was promoted during World Football Summit, as part of its commitment to build a more professional, sustainable, and inclusive football industry. Through collaboration between sports and governmental entities, this initiative continues to advance its goal of making football an accessible sport for everyone, in every sense.
According to the European Parliament, around 25% of the European population has some type of disability, making it essential to move towards greater integration of this group.
Marian Otamendi, CEO of World Football Summit, highlighted the importance of this cause: “Football not only entertains, but it also has the ability to change lives. This inclusive match is not just another match, but a declaration of intentions about the type of football we want: a football where everyone has a place, regardless of their abilities. We are very proud to see how the conversations we started at WFS are transformed into concrete actions like this.”
Since 2022, Integrated Dreams and World Football Summit have collaborated in the delivery of the WFS Award Football Without Limits, which recognizes the work of companies, clubs, leagues, or federations that promote inclusion through football. This year they added AccesibAll to their efforts, which is also organizing an event around inclusion in Madrid on 13th/14th November.
Tickets for the match are already on sale at the club’s website.
We invite all fans, with or without disabilities, to be part of this historic moment. Together, we can demonstrate that football has the power to unite, inspire, and transform lives.