Soccer Aid 2026 LIVE
Jermain Defoe scored two goals and assisted a third as England eked out a narrow win over World XI at Soccer Aid 2026. Two star-studded sides met at the London Stadium as the Three Lions looked to bounce back from last year’s ignominious defeat at Old Trafford and they achieved that goal with aplomb.
Actor Damson Idris scored the only goal of a nervy first-half, and ex-Tottenham and Sunderland striker twice lobbed Chris O’Dowd to put England three goals clear in the second half. They threatened a late collapse after strikes from Michael Essien and Tim Cahill brought World XI within one, but the hosts got the result over the line to reclaim the bragging rights.
Most importantly, the day wax a resounding success in terms of raising money for UNICEF. After countless appeals from the great and the good of the entertainment and sports industries - not to mention an exclusive performance of Robbie Williams’ hit single ‘Feel’ - a scarcely believable £16,462,353 went into the hat for the United Nations’ childrens charity. Catch up with the action from the London Stadium as it happened below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog!
Soccer Aid 2026 latest news and updates
- GOAL! Cahill pulls World XI within one
- GOAL! Essien pulls with back from range
- GOAL! Defoe scores twice in two minutes
- GOAL! Damson Idris lashes home opener
MATCH REPORT: England 3-2 World XI
21:06 , Arthur Ferridge
Jermain Defoe scored a remarkable brace as England beat World XI 3-2 to take back the Soccer Aid crown.
The Three Lions were beaten comfortably at Old Trafford last time out but roared back to form on return to the nation’s capital.
Defoe played under Harry Redknapp 146 times before hanging up his boots and on their reunion rediscovered the form that made their partnership so effective. He scored twice in two minutes after the break to put the result well out of reach for the World XI, in spite of a threatened late comeback inspired by Michael Essien and Tim Cahill.
Most notably on the day, a staggering £16,462,353 was raised for UNICEF, continuing Soccer Aid’s remarkable charitable form.
READ STANDARD SPORT’S FULL MATCH REPORT HERE!
FULL-TIME: England 3-2 World XI
20:45 , Arthur Ferridge
That does it! England reclaim the bragging rights.
20:45 , Arthur Ferridge
89mins: Alba plays Podolski in behind with a slide-rule pass, but he knocks it back across the box and sees his cross blocked! It falls to Matic, who imagines tomorrow’s back pages and has a crack from some 40 yards. He misses high and wide.
England 3-2 World XI
20:42 , Arthur Ferridge
88mins: Paddy McGuinness replaces Jack Whitehall for England.
England 3-2 World XI
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87mins: Rooney looks to bend it into the far corner from that free-kick, and it came within inches. Not a bad effort at all from the former DC United, Derby County and Plymouth Argyle manager.
England 3-2 World XI
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86mins: Meatball Molly fouls tom Grennan on the left flank and England have a tantalising opportunity to put this game to bed.
England 3-2 World XI
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84mins: Nota bene, this match will be decided by penalties if it happens to finish level.
England 3-2 World XI
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83mins: A huge penalty shout for England! Walcott looks to round O’Dowd but the goalkeeper cleans him out. But the referee takes no interest!
GOAL! England 3-2 World XI | Cahill '82
20:37 , Arthur Ferridge
And Cahill heads home to halve the deficit! Angry Ginge has had a great game but loses his man there and England pay the price. We’re in for a nervous finish now.
England 3-1 World XI
20:36 , Arthur Ferridge
81mins: Alba is the latest to test Marler, shooting from some 30 yards and drawing a routine parry from the prop.
England 3-1 World XI
20:36 , Arthur Ferridge
81mins: What a hit! Podolski catches a volley so so sweetly and rattles the crossbar! Joe Marler breathes a considerable sigh of relief.
Donate to UNICEF
20:34 , Arthur Ferridge
A reminder that this is, of course, a charity match. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO UNICEF!
England 3-1 World XI
20:33 , Arthur Ferridge
78mins: Wayne Rooney has re-entered the fray, replacing a tired-looking Jack Wilshere.
England 3-1 World XI
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77mins: Marler makes another impressive stop to deny Matic!
England 3-1 World XI
20:31 , Arthur Ferridge
76mins: Walcott is through one-on-one with O’Dowd but the offside flag goes up.
GOAL! England 3-1 World XI | Essien '74
20:29 , Arthur Ferridge
Essien bangs one in from 25 yards with his last contribution of the game! What a hit - Marler got a hand to it but could not keep it out.
England 3-0 World XI
20:28 , Arthur Ferridge
73mins: Thinking about it, it is a tad unfair that Nemanja Matic is playing given he’s still an active professional at Sassuolo. He played 34 times in Serie A last season!
England 3-0 World XI
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70mins: Essien floats a smart cross in for Cahill, but it is just over the Australian’s head.
England 3-0 World XI
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Jack Whitehall is on, then, in place of Danny Dyer. The comedian looked absolutely baffled as he received his final instructions from Harry Redknapp before coming on.
England 3-0 World XI
20:22 , Arthur Ferridge
68mins: What a save! Marler makes a diving stop to keep Cahill’s header out.
England 3-0 World XI
20:22 , Arthur Ferridge
67mins: Olly Murs looking surprisingly mobile given the fact he’s run and cycled 400km in the last week.
England 3-0 World XI
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66mins: O’Dowd impresses again! Walcott attempts a chip of his own over the World XI shot-stopper, and he does exactly that! He then reacts well to close down Wilshere as he chased the rebound.
England 3-0 World XI
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65mins: Podolski hits the post for World XI!
England 3-0 World XI
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64mins: What a moment this is. Jordan North is replaced by Olly Murs!
He commuted to this match on foot from Manchester over the course of four days or so, raising close to a million pounds for UNICEF in the process.
England 3-0 World XI
20:17 , Arthur Ferridge
62mins: And that is Defoe’s final contribution. He is replaced by Jill Scott, and Shaun Wright-Phillips is also on for England.
GOAL! England 3-0 World XI | Defoe '60
20:15 , Arthur Ferridge
Where did that come from?? Defoe has another! England win the ball in their own box and Defoe is left on his own high up the pitch. He is clean through but spots O’Dowd off his line and lobs the Irishman from range.
GOAL! England 2-0 World XI | Defoe '59
20:13 , Arthur Ferridge
England have another and it had to be Defoe! The most prolific scorer in Soccer Aid history strokes a deft chip over O’Dowd to double the Three Lions’ advantage.
England 1-0 World XI
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58mins: Meatball Molly has entered the fray for World XI, replacing Maisie Adams in a definite physical upgrade.
England 1-0 World XI
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57mins: Alba does shoot, but hits the wall.
England 1-0 World XI
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56mins: A clumsy tackle from Duggan and World XI have a free-kick at the right corner of the penalty box, some 30 yards out. Will Alba or Matic look to test Marler?
England 1-0 World XI
20:08 , Arthur Ferridge
54mins: World XI have shifted into a very defensive setup here. They’ve got eight players behind the ball as Jermain Defoe looks for a record sixth Soccer Aid goal but is forced to pass around and recycle.
England 1-0 World XI
20:06 , Arthur Ferridge
53mins: Michael Essien has had a quietly solid game in midfield. He pings one wide for Jordi Alba and the Spaniard crosses to Maisie Adams, who cannot connect.
England 1-0 World XI
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51mins: Chris O’Dowd with a smart stop to deny a long-range effort from a graying Theo Walcott!
England 1-0 World XI
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49mins: Richard Gadd then heads wide from the resultant corner.
England 1-0 World XI
20:04 , Arthur Ferridge
How has that stayed out! Marler spills Behzinga’s cross and Adams is there to get a shot off, but Angry Ginge comes from nowhere to tip her effort around the post.
England 1-0 World XI
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48mins: Another notable England substitution as Golden Globe winner Owen Cooper is replaced by the brains behind ‘Marching Powder’, Danny Dyer.
England 1-0 World XI
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46mins: As per the regulations, Joe Hart and Edwin van der Sar have had their places taken by their celebrity counterparts. Chris O’Dowd is in the World XI net, and Joe Marler his opposite number.
The former England and Harlequins prop certainly takes up a lot of the goalmouth but I’m not sure how agile he’ll be. He’s yet to be tested.
2ND HALF: England 1-0 World XI
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45 minutes after the first-half ended, we are back underway for the second half!
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GK Barry is chatting to some fans and they’re all predicting a goal-fest in the second half.
That may well come to pass with Joe Marler about to replace Joe Hart between the sticks for England.
19:52 , Arthur Ferridge
Well - that does it for the half-time show. One song, that’s your lot.
Second half, coming up next!
19:52 , Arthur Ferridge
The players are trotting out to partner Williams now as he continues to perform ‘Feel’, which peaked at No3 on the Swedish charts and No2 in Hungary on release in 2002.
It did, of course, top the charts in England.
19:49 , Arthur Ferridge
Here comes the man himself, opening with the hit 2002 single ‘Feel’.
This track topped the charts in the Czech Republic, Latvia, and the Netherlands.
19:47 , Arthur Ferridge
Tom Hiddleston has just made a donation to UNICEF live on TV as a means of introducing Robbie Williams’ long-awaited half-time show!
19:36 , Arthur Ferridge
This has already been a longer-than-average half-time break, but we are told that Robbie Williams will be on shortly. Good news for the Take That fans in your life. Let them know.
UNICEF FUNDRAISING UPDATE
19:35 , Arthur Ferridge
Soccer Aid 2026 has now raised £8,892,615 for UNICEF!
19:29 , Arthur Ferridge
Not absolutely clear when Robbie Williams will be coming on, mind.
Half-time show
19:21 , Arthur Ferridge
Lest we forget, there is a half-time show today!
Robbie Williams will be performing to celebrate Soccer Aid’s 20th anniversary.
Donate to Soccer Aid
19:18 , Arthur Ferridge
A reminder of what this is all for. Soccer Aid is taking place to raise money for UNICEF, the United Nations agency dedicated to supporting children and mothers.
HALF-TIME: England 1-0 World XI
19:15 , Arthur Ferridge
Damson Idris’ strike is the only difference come half-time. England with a narrow lead at the break.
England 1-0 World XI
19:15 , Arthur Ferridge
45mins: Rooney looses one from range, but Van der Sar catches it easily.
England 1-0 World XI
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Idris is held up by Essien as he looks to make a run into space, and Rooney remonstrates with the referee. He gets his way and a free-kick is awarded to England.
England 1-0 World XI
19:13 , Arthur Ferridge
43mins: Tom Grennan looks to play a pass into GK Barry, but she’s distracted taunting the crowd and lets it run out for a throw in.
England 1-0 World XI
19:12 , Arthur Ferridge
42mins: More England substitutions as Tom Hiddleston is hooked in favour of GK Barry. Not a sentence I ever expected to write when training to be a sports journalist, but here we are.
England 1-0 World XI
19:10 , Arthur Ferridge
40mins: Unreal from Rooney! He does all the hard work - a mazy dribble into the box to set up what would have been a stunning solo goal - but Van der Sar gets a crucial fingertip on the ball to push it onto the post!
England 1-0 World XI
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39mins: Berbatov has his shot blocked by Wilshere and it appears the ex-Arsenal man did so with his hand. Berbatov looks furious!
England 1-0 World XI
19:08 , Arthur Ferridge
38mins: Jordi Alba gets away and puts a very smart cross in for Nitro... but Lescott gets back in time to make a crucial intervention and deny him.
England 1-0 World XI
19:07 , Arthur Ferridge
37mins: Jordi Alba plucks an England cross-field ball out of the sky with a deft touch. The 37-year-old is not playing like a retiree!
England 1-0 World XI
19:04 , Arthur Ferridge
34mins: On viewing the replay, you wonder if VAR would have let that stand. Idris definitely looks to have strayed offside, but there are no video assistants working today.
GOAL! England 1-0 World XI | Idris '33
19:03 , Arthur Ferridge
Damson Idris opens the scoring! Lovely finish from the actor, who laces his shot - England’s first shot on target of the day - into the top left corner. Edwin van der Sar was helpless!
England 0-0 World XI
19:01 , Arthur Ferridge
31mins: Rooney makes a driving run forward, if you can call it a run. More of a jog, or perhaps a canter? Maybe a trot? Anyway.
He looks to play Idris in behind but there is something of a miscommunication between them and the move falls apart.
England 0-0 World XI
18:57 , Arthur Ferridge
27mins: Berbatov looks to dribble into the box and makes decent progress before being stopped short by a well-timed tackle from Tom Grennan.
England 0-0 World XI
18:55 , Arthur Ferridge
25mins: Tom Hiddleston is playing with his shirt tucked in. Classy player. Proper. Yet to have much sight of the ball, mind.
England 0-0 World XI
18:54 , Arthur Ferridge
24mins: The substitute Nitro is straight into the thick of it, spearheading a three-on-three attack, but he waits much too long to play his cross and the moment promptly passes.
England fly down the opposite end and Rooney gets a shot away, but it is always bending away from the goal and sails harmlessly behind.
England 0-0 World XI
18:53 , Arthur Ferridge
23mins: Changes for World XI too as Coster-Waldau is replaced by Nitro.
England 0-0 World XI
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21mins: Behzinga hits a nice cross for Rizwan and he attempts a spectacular bicycle kick... but his laces only find the chest of Angry Ginge. The streamer is fine to continue, though.
Substitutions - Hiddleston replaces Sam Thompson.
England 0-0 World XI
18:49 , Arthur Ferridge
19mins: Tom Hiddleston has been sent to warm up. Early substitutions on the cards from Redknapp, perhaps?
England 0-0 World XI
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18mins: Jack Wilshere is looking pretty spritely. You wonder if he’s been mixing it in some Luton training sessions.
England 0-0 World XI
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16mins: And another nice save from Hart as Behzinga gets on the ball in the area but doesn’t quite catch his shot right.
England 0-0 World XI
18:45 , Arthur Ferridge
14mins: Ooh, should that have been a penalty? Owen Cooper hacks down Dimitar Berbatov in the box and it looks to be a stonewall spot-kick, but the referee is not having it! The replay shows a big swing of the right leg from Cooper, he completely misses the ball and catches an awful lot of the Bulgarian striker. He’s really got away with one htere.
England 0-0 World XI
18:43 , Arthur Ferridge
14mins: I was expecting big things from Jordi Alba before this match and he gets his first sight of goal of the afternoon as he makes a marauding run down the left flank. He looks to chip Hart from the edge of the box, though, and hits the top of the goal.
England 0-0 World XI
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12mins: Nice football from England! Defoe plays Idris in behind and he opts to shoot from a tight angle but only meets the side netting.
England 0-0 World XI
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12mins: Another big chance for Rizwan, another big save from Hart! Will the World XI come to rue missing these early chances?
England 0-0 World XI
18:41 , Arthur Ferridge
11mins: Defoe blazes a shot over from range.
England 0-0 World XI
18:38 , Arthur Ferridge
9mins: Joe Hart rolls back the years with a smart save to deny Rizwan.
England 0-0 World XI
18:38 , Arthur Ferridge
8mins: Duggan makes a nice run forward but her cross for Defoe is too close to Van der Sar.
England 0-0 World XI
18:37 , Arthur Ferridge
7mins: Soccer Aid does tend to be something of a goalfest, so we should have a ball in the back of the net before too long.
England 0-0 World XI
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6mins: England certainly dominating possession in the early stages with Tom Grennan seeing an awful lot of the ball. He makes a driving run forward before being stopped in his tracks by Richard Gadd.
England 0-0 World XI
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4mins: Dimitar Berbatov skins Angry Ginge but trips over the ball before he can take advantage of the space.
England 0-0 World XI
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3mins: Damson Idris sends a searching ball towards Wayne Rooney, but Nemanja Matic cuts it out. That move started with a tackle from Cooper.
England 0-0 World XI
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1mins: Owen Cooper, Soccer Aid’s youngest ever player, gets his first touches on the ball and looks lively. He’ll be bringing down the average age of his squad considerably. Certainly one to watch.
KICK-OFF! England 0-0 World XI
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We’re off!
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Allen confirms that Soccer Aid 2026 has so far raised £4,646,971 for UNICEF!
We haven’t even kicked off yet!
18:25 , Arthur Ferridge
After a cute Toy Story-themed skit, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen bring the match ball out onto the pitch to rousing applause!
Hanks himself looks rather starstruck to meet Wayne Rooney.
Here we go...
18:21 , Arthur Ferridge
The players are making their way out onto the London Stadium pitch! Kick-off is imminent.
Sidebar - this is the first time Soccer Aid has ever been held at a Championship ground. Fancy that.
Team news reminder
18:20 , Arthur Ferridge
Here are our starting lineups once again, with ten minutes left until kick-off.
England XI: Hart, Cooper, Angry Ginge, Lescott, Thompson, Wilshere, Grennan, Danson, Rooney, Duggan, Defoe
World XI XI: Van der Sar; Coster-Waldau, Jordi Alba, Matic, Gadd, Kennedy, Beattie, Essien, Behzinga, Berbatov, Rizwan
Attention stattos
18:20 , Arthur Ferridge
Good news for the mathematically inclined Soccer Aid viewer. Today’s match will enjoy full statistical coverage from FotMob!
You can bet Harry Redknapp will be keeping a keen eye on the xG figures.
A big prediction
18:15 , Arthur Ferridge
Actress Olivia Colman, the president of UNICEF UK, has made her way to the pitch and predicted that this match will end “four love.”
Someone’s been watching Roland Garros this week!
The stars take to the pitch
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More celebrities arrive
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Tom Hanks is in attendance today!
He’s being interviewed by GK Barry, for reasons best known, and says he’s most excited to watch Robbie Williams. What content.
Half-time show plans
18:00 , Arthur Ferridge
Robbie Williams will stage a short half-time show at the London Stadium this afternoon.
The Take That singer was among Soccer Aid’s founders and is performing to mark the event’s 20th anniversary.
Olly Murs goes above and beyond
17:50 , Arthur Ferridge
Olly Murs might not have much in the legs for today’s match.
He ran, rowed, and cycled from Manchester to London over the past week to raise money for Unicef.
He conquered the 400km journey in five days and raised just shy of one million pounds.
The final total raised came in at £832,257 - a superb effort.
In any case, don’t expect him to be making many runs in behind today!
World XI
17:45 , Arthur Ferridge
England may have Joe Hart in goal, but his opposite number Edwin van der Sar is equally intimidating.
Dimitar Berbatov leads the line, with Chelsea and Manchester United great Nemanja Matic in behind. Who remembers his goal against Spurs at Wembley? What a hit that was, by the way.
Anyway - back to the matter at hand. there is a fascinating full-back pairing at play in the World XI, with Barcelona legend Jordi Alba on one side and Richard Gadd, the comedian who came up with ‘Baby Reindeer’, on the other.
I wonder which flank they’ll attack down?
England team news
17:42 , Arthur Ferridge
That is an impressive team from England.
Joe Hart between the sticks, Luton manager Jack Wilshere up top, not to mention Wayne Rooney.
Jermain Defoe is the all-time top goalscorer in Soccer Aid, and will hope to extend his lead here.
ENGLAND CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
17:36 , Arthur Ferridge
And here are the hosts, as selected by Harry Redknapp.
England XI: Hart, Cooper, Angry Ginge, Lescott, Thompson, Wilshere, Grennan, Danson, Rooney, Duggan, Defoe
WORLD XI CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
17:33 , Arthur Ferridge
Here’s the World XI starting lineup! The World XI XI, if you will.
World XI XI: Van der Sar; Coster-Waldau, Jordi Alba, Matic, Gadd, Kennedy, Beattie, Essien, Behzinga, Berbatov, Rizwan
How much does Soccer Aid raise for UNICEF?
17:30 , Arthur Ferridge
Soccer Aid is among the UK’s most successful fundraising initiatives.
The 2025 edition alone raised over £15million for UNICEF.
All 14 Soccer Aid stagings have generated over £121m between them.
Why isn't Luke Littler playing at Soccer Aid 2026?
17:20 , Arthur Ferridge
Darts phenom Luke Littler has shot to stardom over the past couple of years and says he would love to play at Soccer Aid.
So why isn’t he?
The 19-year-old said in an interview that he is afraid of breaking his all-important throwing arm.
“I would love to play the Soccer Aid but it’s just hard finding the time – and hopefully not breaking my arm!”
Stars en route
17:10 , Arthur Ferridge
Kick-off is not terribly far away now!
Suited and booted with @Primark 😎 pic.twitter.com/wKbzzMQumg
— Soccer Aid (@socceraid) May 31, 2026
Are tickets still available for Soccer Aid 2026?
17:00 , Arthur Ferridge
The London Stadium is SOLD OUT for Soccer Aid 2026!
That means some 68,000 people could be set to descend on Stratford this evening’s action.
England vs World XI head to head
16:50 , Arthur Ferridge
England wins: 6
World XI wins: 8
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