A star-studded charity football match featuring Premier League legends and boxing icon Oleksandr Usyk aims to raise over €1 million (£860,000) for major non-profits. The Legends Charity Game kicks off at 8pm BST on September 15 at Sporting's Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal.
The match pits a squad of Portugal's all-time greats, including Nani, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Luis Figo, and Pepe, against a 'World Legends' group of 20 global football icons plus undisputed heavyweight champion Usyk. World representatives John Terry and Petr Cech will face former Chelsea teammates Deco and Carvalho.
The World Legends squad also features Edwin van der Sar, Michael Owen, Kaka, Carles Puyol, Alessandro Del Piero, and Henrik Larsson. Ex-Portuguese midfielder Costinha manages the home side, while legendary Brazilian full-back Roberto Carlos is player-manager for the visitors.
The event is expected to be the first in a series of charity matches held annually until 2030, when Portugal co-hosts the World Cup. Organisers describe it as a 'rallying cry for unity, compassion, and purpose', with proceeds supporting causes in Ukraine, Portugal, and globally.
The match will not be shown live on UK television but will be streamed free on ITVX (build-up from 7pm) and on YouTube channel FUTBIN from 7pm. The 50,000-capacity stadium is expected to be full, with millions more watching worldwide.
