World Cup football’s other goal: Helping young people talk about mental health

World Cup football’s other goal: Helping young people talk about mental health
When Dr. Sahira Al Nahari founded Shifā Art, a Saudi Arabia-based organization using art to create conversations around mental health, she noticed that men attending her therapeutic art workshops often felt uncomfortable opening up about their feelings.
At these workshops, however, men often begin by sketching football jerseys or their favorite teams, the medic said. Soon, those drawings become conversations about everyday anxieties – showing how sport can open doors that traditional mental health discussions often cannot.
“On the field, absolutely no one wins alone,” Dr. Al Nahari said. “Players depend on a whole ecosystem – defenders, midfielders, coaches, medics and fans in the stands – all having important roles. When we approach youth mental health, we require the exact same ecosystem.”
Speaking alongside UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, Dr. Al Nahari highlighted how sport can improve youth mental health outcomes – and reduce stigma.
On Friday, just two days ahead of the Men’s World Cup final across the river from Midtown Manhattan in New Jersey, the UN Youth Office will host young leaders, policymakers, civil society, athletes and more to celebrate football as a catalyst for youth mental health.
The event is part of the Youth Office’s flagship initiative on Youth Mental Health and Well-Being, which aims to shift the conversation beyond clinical responses.
Youth struggles
In February, a UN report found that one in seven people aged 10 to 19 has a mental health condition, 75 per cent of adult mental health conditions were already present by the mid-twenties and depression among adolescents and young adults has increased in recent years.
It noted that youth mental health is heavily shaped by a broad array of inequalities and social determinants – including education, employment, family dynamics, poverty, technology and societal attitudes – which all require cross-sectoral policies to address.
“Young people are navigating a very complex world with very unpredictable changes in terms of digital disruption, economic uncertainty, the consequences of armed conflict, displacement, and social isolation,” Mr. Paullier said.
As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends interventions that build resilience, enhance alternatives to risky behaviours, integrate multiple delivery methods and promote supportive social environments.
One such intervention is youth participation in sport.
Mental game
The same report found that playing team sports is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety, regardless of country, but that many young people face barriers to meaningful participation in sport.
As the world’s number one sport, the Youth Office says football can build belonging and social connection, strengthen emotional resilience, and promote inclusion and collective well-being.
“We believe that football and sports are a really powerful messenger, not only because of what they represent when they connect people because we know football legends can be strong messengers to transform narratives,” Mr. Paullier said.
Both speakers emphasised that football is unique because it serves as a universal language that brings young people a sense of belonging.
Dr. Al Nahari stressed that youngsters are already building effective solutions to support each other’s mental health, and that it is the duty of the UN and the international community to listen – and become productive partners with them.
“The most important players are the youth themselves,” she said. “They are not waiting on the sidelines to be saved.”
Football is not enough
The “One World, One Game, One Goal” event on Friday shows football’s ability to address social isolation, but it is just one example of the UN’s multisectoral approach to addressing youth mental health around the world.
For example, the WHO and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) provide evidence-based frameworks to help governments implement effective psychosocial support programs in schools through the Helping Adolescents Thrive (HAT) initiative.
“We want to use not only sports,” Mr. Paullier said. “We want to meet young people where they are.”
On top of the UN’s efforts to bring awareness to youth mental health and support implementation programmes, Mr. Paullier said the world must do a better job playing a supporting role with funding.
Most countries allocate less than two per cent of their annual health budgets to mental health, creating a $200 billion financing gap, according to the WHO.
“Behind these figures, there’s actually millions of young people that are carrying a pain that is often unseen, unspoken and unsupported,” Mr. Paullier said.