‘Biggest mission opportunity’: Gospel campaign launched ahead of World Cup

Christian charity Hope Together UK is encouraging churches and individuals across the UK to seize what it describes as “the most important mission opportunity” during this summer’s FIFA World Cup, with the launch of a recent football-themed outreach resource.

With greater than half of the worldwide population expected to follow the tournament and shut to two-thirds of individuals within the UK more likely to watch, Hope Together says the competition presents a novel moment to interact communities in conversations about faith in Jesus.

Football stays the nation’s most-played sport, and the organisation noted that a rising variety of skilled players have develop into more open about how their Christian faith influences each their lives and careers.

Street interviews featured in a promotional video for the campaign suggested strong enthusiasm amongst members of the general public, a lot of whom said they planned to observe the matches and support teams equivalent to England, Colombia and others.

To coincide with the tournament, Hope Together has unveiled the “Football Gospel”, a specially designed evangelism resource titled Goal of Life featuring the Gospel of Mark alongside football-themed content and the testimony of former skilled footballer Daryl Robson.

Robson, who joined the academy of Middlesbrough FC on the age of 9, said football had develop into the centre of his identity from a young age. 

Despite fulfilling his dream of signing professionally and later joining Galway United, he described battling severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression.

He said: “My god was football. But in my teenage years, my mind was like a washer … I suppressed all my mental health issues and looked to flee. It left me with a gaping hole in my soul.”

After being released by Middlesbrough at 18 and later sidelined by injury in Ireland, where he had signed a professional contract with Galway United, Robson said he spiralled into destructive behaviours, including alcohol abuse, gambling and sex, while wrestling with feelings of emptiness and hopelessness.

He shared: “Not having the ability to play once I had built my whole life around playing football left me feeling lost and empty … I used to be in a cycle of living in nightclubs and parties, often returning home at 6am and questioning the aim of my life. I’d ask myself, “Is there more to life than this?”

He said his uncle, a former heroin addict whose life had been transformed through faith, often prayed for him, but he was immune to Christianity on the time.

Robson recounted a turning point after attending church one Sunday morning following an evening out. 

There, he said he heard the message of Jesus for the primary time in a way that transformed his life.

He said: “For the primary time, I heard that Jesus loved me, that he died for me, and that he could set me free from the fear of death. I didn’t understand every part, but I responded to the decision to repent of my sin and trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.”

Robson said his decision to follow Christ brought him peace and freedom from fear, changing each his outlook on life and his approach to football.

He added: “It was like a spiritual veil had come down over my eyes. I recognised that the alternatives I used to be making were destroying me. I had made a god out of football, and I couldn’t construct my life on it anymore.

“I used to be a brand-new man in Christ. My heart modified, my mind modified, and my life modified. I used to be finally let out to play football without fear.”

Now a pastor, Robson later founded F3, a ministry aimed toward helping footballers discover faith in Jesus and grow spiritually while pursuing their sporting careers.

Hope Together is encouraging supporters to distribute copies of Goal in Life in on a regular basis settings, including pubs, community watch parties, barbecues and native football pitches, using the World Cup as a natural conversation starter.

The resource is currently available to pre-order, with delivery starting on 13 May. Bulk orders are being offered from 85p per copy for a limited early-bird period.

The Football Gospel initiative forms a part of Hope Together’s wider “Great Gospel Giveaway” campaign, which goals to put 100,000 copies of the Gospel into the hands of non-Christians across the UK by the top of 2026.

Hope Together cited research showing that 47% of Christians said reading the Bible played a key role of their journey to faith.

As a part of the broader campaign, churches are being encouraged to wish, train outreach teams and explore practical methods of distribution, including one-to-one conversations, street outreach, door-to-door evangelism and community events.

Supporters are also being invited to donate towards the campaign to assist meet the 100,000-copy goal.

Hope Together said it hopes the World Cup campaign will help 1000’s more people encounter the Christian message through the nation’s love of football.