Soccer Aid 2022: England vs World XI

United By Play

by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | June 12, 2022

If you thought the World Cup was going to be the biggest sporting event of the year, think again because the world’s biggest celebrity football match Soccer Aid is back! The annual star-studded charity football match returned today, Sunday, June 12, 2022, playing at West Ham’s London Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, but not before training sessions at Champneys Tring in Wigginton, North Yorkshire days prior.

There were footballing greats and celebrities involved in this year’s game, and off-pitch the show was presented by UNICEF UK Ambassador Dermot O’Leary, joined by Maya Jama and Lionesses legend Alex Scott returned as pitch-side reporter. Kick-off began at 7:30 p.m. BST and coverage of the event aired on ITV television, with streaming available via ITV website and ITV Hub.

There was even a half-time musical performance from Soccer Aid founder Robbie Williams, who performed his famous hit ‘Angels’ and an appearance from UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham.

During arrivals at London Stadium Damian had a short interview and predicted the match result as 4-1 in England’s favor. While on the pitch he further elaborated and claimed England would indeed win it. He was asked if it was a coincidence that England lost without him in the last three years and he said it was one of the biggest coincidences. 😉  View video of that portion here. At the half-time mark the match was tied 1-1 as Damian donned jersey number 66 and played in the second half. He missed a sitter, as he looked certain to score, but dragged the shot wide. Damian looked stunned and gutted! And we were gutted for him. At 84 minutes in, Damian spotted Tom Grennan’s dart into the area but he was offside. Going into tonight’s match the two teams were tied with five wins each after 10 matches, yet this match ended in a 2-2 draw at full-time, going into penalties. World XI scored four penalties and England scored one. The winning Team was World XI, with a final score of 6-3. Sorry Damian! See Damian’s score prediction here.

To view more photos of the event, please visit our Gallery here. We will keep adding photos as they are shared and published. Keep checking back!

Regardless of the winner or that the players may have changed, what they were playing for didn’t. Soccer Aid raised money for UNICEF to help with its mission of providing vaccines, tackling malnutrition and protecting children in times of crisis, such as the conflict in Ukraine, by providing safe spaces and helping kids get back to the childhoods they are entitled to. Since its creation in 2006 by singer Robbie Williams and entertainer Jonathan Wilkes, Soccer Aid has raised more than £60 million for UNICEF overall, which helps more children than any other humanitarian organization. At time of writing this post, Soccer Aid 2022 had raised a staggering and record breaking £15,673,728 so far!

And if that wasn’t the icing on the cake, there’s more! Damian reunited with Soccer Aid Ambassador David Beckham on the pitch.

Here’s a little Damian Lewis appreciation from Soccer Aid:

Teams: England Team Captain Liam Payne vs. Soccer Aid World XI Team Captain Usain Bolt

England:
Liam Payne (captain)
Alex Brooker – Comedian and The Last Leg host
Mark Wright – Heart Radio
Tom Grennan – Singer
Lucien Laviscount – Actor
Chunkz – YouTuber
Damian Lewis – Actor
Sir Mo Farah – Olympic Champ
Aitch – Rapper
Gary Neville – Former Manchester United Footballer
Jamie Carragher – Former Liverpool Footballer
Fara Williams – Former England Star
Joe Cole – Former West Ham United Footballer
David Harewood – Actor
Teddy Sheringham – Former Manchester United Footballer
David James – Former Manchester City Goalkeeper
Mark Noble – Former West Ham United Footballer
Anita Asante – Former England and Chelsea Footballer

Soccer Aid 2022 Managers for England:
Harry Redknapp, Emma Hayes and David Seaman were in the England dugout

World XI:
Usain Bolt (captain)
Steven Bartlett – Dragon’s Den Star
Munya Chawawa – Comedian
Martin Compston – Line of Duty
Mo Gilligan – Comedian
Noah Beck – TikTok Star
Lee Mack – Comedian
Chelcee Grimes – Singer, Songwriter, Footballer
Patrice Evra – Former Manchester United Footballer
Carli Lloyd – Former American Professional Soccer Player
Kem Cetinay – Love Island Star
Cafu – Former Brazilian Footballer
Tom Stoltman – British Strongman Competitor
Petr Cech – Former Czech Footballer
Mark Strong – Actor
Heather O’Reilly – Former American Professional Soccer Player
Andriy Shevchenko – Former Striker for Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, Chelsea and Ukraine National Team

Soccer Aid 2022 Managers for World XI:
The World XI was coached by Arsenal icon Arsene Wenger and former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane.

Together the event raised money so that more children around the world can grow up healthy, happy and safe. There has never been a more challenging time for children. Right now, they are facing conflict, disasters, and other crises in countries around the world. And it is children that are often hardest hit – like the 7.5 million children currently affected by the conflict in Ukraine. They risk losing their homes, their families and their schools. UNICEF is activating “Blue Dot” safe spaces along refugee routes, providing access to water and medical supplies, mental health support, and – even in a crisis like this – a place to rest and play.

It’s never too late to donate!

See video of Damian and team ambushing the Presenter during their pitch arrival at beginning of match, here.
For more information, visit Soccer Aid’s website or Twitter
Visit Unicef’s website or Twitter
Sources: Manchester Evening News and The Independent