The 2026 World Cup has only just begun, but plenty of legacy building is already in the works.
Many stakeholders, including sponsors such as Adidas and Coca-Cola, want to use the event to capture the next generation of consumers and soccer fans. For the Philadelphia Union, the plan is to finance the education of soccer in local elementary schools.
The MLS franchise is committing $200,000 in equipment and education resources to seven local school districts for the 2026-2027 scholastic year, with the hope that teaching soccer in physical education classes will give children early access to the sport at no cost. It estimates spending at least 10 times that amount on the program over the next decade.
Tim McDermott, president of the Union, said the idea formed from conversations with the Philadelphia School District about the methodology behind physical education programs for younger grades. He learned that educators have latitude to determine which sports are taught, and there was no requirement for soccer.
“PE teachers may not know the sport,” he said. “Maybe they didn’t play the sport. Maybe they feel a little inhibited teaching a sport that they didn’t play.”
