The first confirmed names that will appear in Soccer Aid 2024 have been revealed, including I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! winner Sam Thompson.
The 31-year-old will be making his debut in the event alongside soap star and Strictly Come Dancing finalist Bobby Brazier and The Crown’s Erin Doherty.
Soccer Aid is an annual charity football match that raises money for Unicef and brings together various celebrities and former footballers.
This year it will be hosted at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium, which Thompson has stated he is very excited about, as he is a fan of the club.
He said: “From watching Chelsea in the stands throughout my life, to walking out at Stamford Bridge and playing in front of thousands of fans!
“As pretty much everyone knows, I am a massive Chelsea fan, so I can’t quite believe this is actually happening.
“I know everyone must say this – but this is my actual dream coming true!"
Who is confirmed to be taking part in Soccer Aid 2024?
At the time of writing the players who are confirmed to be playing for England are:
- Sam Thompson
- Bobby Brazier
- Erin Doherty
- Jill Scott
- Sir Mo Farah
- Paddy McGuinness
- Tom Grennan
- Alex Brooker
- Steven Bartlett
Robbie Williams, who helped co-create Soccer Aid, will also return to the pitch and be a part of this year’s England management team.
Meanwhile, the World XI team at the time of writing are:
- Usain Bolt
- Maisie Adam
- Roman Kemp
- Lee Mack
- Tommy Fury
More famous faces will be revealed in the coming weeks and a half-time entertainment show will also be announced.
Recommended reading:
- Clive Myrie to explore the Caribbean in BBC travel series
- How to watch Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice's new travel series
- Coronation Street to star Absolutely Fabulous' Helen Lederer
Where will Soccer Aid be taking place this year?
Soccer Aid 2024 will be played at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium on Sunday, June 9 and will be broadcast on ITV1, STV and ITVX.
This year’s show will be hosted by Unicef UK ambassador and This Morning presenter Dermot O’Leary, who will be joined by sports presenter and former footballer Alex Scott.
English broadcaster Sam Matterface will return as a commentator, with Love Island narrator Iain Stirling on co-comms duty.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here