The biennial collision of celebrity culture and football returns to Old Trafford as Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2025 gets underway on Sunday, June 15. ITV1 will carry the full event, with the pre-match coverage hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Alex Scott starting at 6:00 PM GMT, leading up to kickoff at 7:30 PM. The charity match, which pits an England squad against a Soccer Aid World XI, has become a fixture in the UK’s television calendar, raising funds for UNICEF while putting an eclectic mix of personalities on the pitch.
This year’s rosters feature a characteristically broad lineup. The England side includes Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney and his former teammate Gary Neville, alongside musician Tom Grennan and Lioness Jill Scott. Facing them on the World XI team is a group that includes heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, Olympic great Mo Farah, and actor Vicki McClure, with Harry Redknapp managing from the sidelines. The teams are a blend of former professional players, athletes from other disciplines, and figures from the wider entertainment world.
While the quality of football can be, charitably, inconsistent, the event’s purpose remains its core strength. The funds raised during the broadcast go toward UNICEF’s work supporting children globally. For one night, the Theatre of Dreams becomes a stage for a different kind of competition, one where the final score is less important than the final donation tally. It’s a reliable, if occasionally clumsy, spectacle that leverages famous faces for a good cause.
