Having just come back from three weeks in France at Euro 2016 it is hard not to compare the Homeless World Cup (HWC) with the the glitzy UEFA tournament. But to be honest it didn't take me long.
Both are football tournaments, involving fans and players of different nations. Both started with a televised opening ceremony (well done to the HWC for getting STV on board) but that's about where the similarities end.
After the first match of Euro 2016 newspapers reported violence among fans, police and local residents on their news pages. The sports columns featured stories of matches with very little goals.
The Homeless World Cup is the opposite. It's played in a true carnival atmosphere and all anyone is talking about is the colour, noise (particularly of the Mexican support), and camaraderie in Glasgow's George Square. And one thing is for sure there are a lot more goals at the HWC.
The aim of the HWC is superb. Now in its 14th year it works to help the players involved, and also local people through its volunteer programme, all the while raising awareness of homelessness and promoting change. A text to donate number (text GOAL to 70660 to donate £5) also raises money for its own foundation, which supports a network of 73 grassroots football projects around the world. Euro 2016 was more concerned about promoting its sponsors and making money for its governing body UEFA,
This year’s Glasgow tournament has been hailed by everyone from the HWC president Mel Young, to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the United Nations, actor Colin Farrell and retired French footballer Emmanuel Petit - and rightly so.
While, Euro 2016 was panned as boring, there's no way that criticism is getting directed at the HWC. Speaking to fans in George Square it is clear they are taking their tournament to their hearts.
Players and supporters mingle, with young fans asking players for selfies not caring about their backgrounds. To them Portugal's number 7 might as well be Cristiano Ronaldo.
It is brilliant watching them cheer every goal as if it is a winning goal, because for those that score it – it is the winning goal in their journey.
At the time of writing, there were hopes that over 100,000 people will turn up at some point in the week to watch and it doesn't look like that's going to be as unlikely as it sounds, with over 11,000 spectators one the first full day of play, despite it being a dreich Monday.
Some of those were there as football fans, some were there out of curiosity, others were there as it was a free activity (in comparison, the average price for a ticket to the Euro 2016 final was £450) to do with their kids during the school holidays.
One dad I spoke to was there with his two sons. He said he brought them there as he planned to talk to them about his own experience of homelessness from before they were born - a subject he had never broached with them before.
The only problem with the HWC is that it is needed.
Getting an accurate picture of global homelessness is challenging but the last time an attempt was made in 2005 by the United Nations it estimated that 100 million people worldwide were homeless.
Perhaps more accurate, and up to date, considering recent increases in the number of refugees around the world as an estimate from non-profit housing organisation Habitat that as many as 1.6 billion people worldwide lack adequate housing.
Homelessness figures from Scotland’s chief statistician show that last year in Scotland there were around 28,000 cases of people assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness.
With that number only a 5% reduction on the year before one volunteer I spoke to joked that unlike our professional team Scotland won't ever fail to qualify for the HWC.
Let’s hope he is wrong … on both counts.
