As whistles blared into the air, blue and red jerseys, each sporting a different national flag, darted back and forth across Carter Field’s green turf, marking the start of the 2025 Boston Unity Cup.

Since 2018, the Soccer Unity Project has organized an annual free city-wide adult soccer tournament, aiming to build a strong cross-cultural community. Similar to the World Cup, men’s and women’s teams represent various countries, bringing together cultures from all over the world.

“We love it; we enjoy the fact that it gets us connected with our Brazilian roots, but also enjoy playing such a beautiful game and being able to share it with other cultures,” said Gustavo Nascinento, a player for the men’s Brazil team.

With more than 750 participants, 40 teams, 35 nations represented and many different languages spoken, these players are united through a singular passion — soccer.

“We have a wait list for both men and women; I think that speaks to the fact that people are looking for something like this,” said Jeremy Kazanjian-Amory, director of development for Soccer Unity Projects. 

The preliminary games began July 19 and will continue until July 31, when the knockout round of the tournament starts.

Every evening from Aug. 4 to Aug. 6 will consist of three tournament-style soccer matches until the finals that weekend, where trophies will be awarded and players will celebrate with a closing ceremony.

“It is super important for our community to know that we, as a city and as a country, still believe in unity and the power of community and diversity. We all still love each other and we’re willing to go play hard and celebrate together,” said Tobin McKenna, an attendee rooting for the women’s Nicaragua team. 

The Soccer Unity Project partnered with several organizations to make the event possible, including Northeastern University, which is hosting all of the games on Carter Field. Community organizations, non-profit programs and local leaders, including Mayor Michelle Wu’s office, collaborated for the tournament’s success. “The Boston Unity Cup is a testament to the power of partnership and what our city can do when we come together,” the website reads.

Coming together is the whole idea; many attendees said soccer is one of the few sports that reaches across cultural, economic and geographic divides. 

“I think especially now, it’s really important that we continue to create these spaces that are not only safe for immigrant communities, but are celebrating immigrant communities and celebrate all that makes Boston special,” Kazanjian-Amory said. 

Boston is a cultural melting pot, with about 27.6% of residents being foreign-born and ethnically diverse communities. There are more than 74 different languages spoken in Boston public schools alone. The multicultural city attracts people from around the world, and the Boston Unity Cup brings them together. 

The month-long event is also one of the only tournaments in the United States that has a women’s division as well as a men’s, according to Kazanjian-Amory.

“Soccer is, at its root, a unifier for people — competing together, rooting for a unified cause, everybody trying to win and play their best. It’s a natural way for people to come together,” said Daniel Cueva, the Unity Cup’s tournament commissioner.

From the United States to Senegal, there are professional soccer leagues and passionate fans abound. Soccer is one of the few sports that is widely played and watched internationally, crossing both physical and cultural borders. 

“The beautiful thing about soccer is that it’s a global sport. It’s played around the world, you can just put something that resembles a ball on the ground and set up something that’s kind of like a goal and play it anywhere,” Kazanjian-Amory said. “You can go out and just play soccer with people without needing to speak the same language.”