The 2026 FIFA World Cup has kicked off, and young soccer fans from Atlanta are getting the chance to be a part of the action. As part of the World Cup’s tradition of having children escort players onto the field, 150 players from the Soccer in the Streets program will be participating in the eight games at Atlanta Stadium.

Soccer in the Streets

Soccer in the Streets is a nonprofit organization that provides free soccer programs to kids across the greater Atlanta area, regardless of their economic or social status. This year, 2,500 kids will benefit from the program, which includes a free inner-city soccer league called StationSoccer.

StationSoccer has partnered with Common Goal, a national organization, to provide the player escort program at the World Cup games in Atlanta. The program is sponsored by Quaker Oats, which has teamed up with 30+ community organizations across 11 United States host cities to give 1,400 young people from underserved communities the chance to walk players onto the pitch.

For the two youngest sons of Erica Holloman-Hill, Asun and Asir, this is a dream come true. Asun, 8, and Asir, 10, were chosen to attend a ‘Breakfast Academy’ hosted by Quaker and will be escorting players at the South Africa vs Czechia game on June 18th at Atlanta Stadium.

Asir says he’s excited but also a little nervous, while Asun is looking forward to learning more about the players and the game. Their mom, Erica, is grateful for the opportunity that Soccer in the Streets has provided for her sons, saying that it has helped them grow in more ways than she imagined.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.