Just as the summer kicked in, the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games announced that it will feature soccer as both a team and individual sport.
It’s great news, obviously – but how can event owners capitalize on this growing movement and serve this population? By paying attention to trends.
Soccer has emerged as a standout in the Unified Sports program, bringing together athletes with and without developmental challenges on the same teams in U.S. schools and communities.
Under the new decision, soccer will be one of the event’s 19 team and individual sports. Soccer events will occur from June 20-26, 2026, at the National Sports Center (NSC) in Blaine, Minnesota, a 600-acre multi-sport complex with 52 soccer fields and the official training ground for the Minnesota United FC.
At the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, there will be 24 soccer teams of nearly 250 athletes, Unified partners and coaches, with athletes competing across traditional 5v5, Unified 5v5, traditional 7v7 and Unified 7v7 events.
Additionally, this could be big news to event owners and rights holders of small-sided soccer competitions. A smaller field with less running and more touches on the ball leads to better athlete development – and far more enjoyment.
“We are thrilled to welcome the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games to our campus,” said Todd Johnson, executive director of the NSC. “Hosting the USA Games ties in perfectly to our mission of inclusion in sports. These incredible athletes inspire us all and demonstrate the unifying power of competition. We can’t wait to host them in 2026 and are honored to have been selected as a partner.”
Introduced to the Special Olympics in 1986, unified soccer brings together athletes with and without intellectual challenges to compete on the same teams. Over 140,000 athletes and Unified partners have been recorded as training and competing in soccer each year.
The growth unified sports has grabbed eyeballs at the high school level; in fact, as recently as May, the National Federation of State High School Associations, in partnership with Special Olympics North America, has created the “Administering Interscholastic Unified Sports” course, available now for free on the NFHS Learning Center (www.nfhslearn.com). “Administering Interscholastic Unified Sports” is the second Unified Sports course on the Learning Center, following “Coaching Unified Sports.”
According to the NFHS, in 33 percent of state member associations, a state-level partnership has been established between the Special Olympics Program and those NFHS state associations, and there are schools participating in interscholastic-style Unified Sports. Another 15 state associations have emerging programs, reporting collaborative state-level relationships with the Special Olympics Program. Only four states reported no partnership.
Soccer is rated one of the top five sports across all seven Special Olympics regions worldwide.
“Soccer invites athletes of all abilities to develop their skills, build friendships and experience the joy and real rewards of teamwork and competition,“ said Christy Sovereign, CEO of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. “Thanks to our partnerships with the National Sports Center and WonderFold, we’re excited for some spectacular soccer matches that celebrate the abilities of every one of our athletes.”
This spring, the USA Games announced basketball as the first official sport and the University of Minnesota RecWell as its designated venue. More sports and their corresponding venues will be announced in the coming months and featured on the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games website.
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