By Kadia Sow | CEO
Thirteen years after Futebol dá Força began in Mozambique, the heart of our work remains the same: creating spaces where girls feel safe, supported, and able to shape their own futures. Thanks to your support, the Mutola Cup — our national girls’ grassroots football league — continues to bring thousands of girls together across the country, combining football with life-changing education.
A Season of Progress Across Mozambique
This year’s Mutola Cup season has continued to advance with provincial finals taking place across Manica, Maputo City, Inhambane, Zambezia, Gaza, and Nampula. These moments have brought communities together and showcased the power of sport to drive social change. Across 10 of Mozambique’s 11 provinces, the Mutola Cup continues to reach more than 34,500 girls, supported by 1,151 teams and 2,274 trained volunteer coaches, all working closely with local partners and communities.
While the overall numbers remain steady, the momentum on the ground has grown stronger. Each province has contributed to a season filled with pride, visibility, and strong community engagement.
Stories From the Field
Celebrated on the International Day of the Girl, the Inhambane finals captured the spirit of the Mutola Cup — a spirit reflected in the words of players and coaches like these:
Graça — Player, Inhambane Province
“I really like playing football, because when we play, they also teach us to respect older people. To respect each other — it's not just about playing and winning. Just stepping onto the field to play makes me feel like I've already won.”
Coach Manuel — Inhambane Province
“In the workshops, they learn many things — from SRHR to the importance of going to school.The motto is the empowerment of girls, so they can follow their dreams.”
Across all provinces, from inter-district tournaments to municipal-level competitions, the atmosphere was the same: joy, teamwork, and communities rallying behind girls who are growing in confidence and leadership.
A Moment of Global Recognition
This season also brought a milestone we are deeply proud of. Our Co-Founder and Mozambique CEO, Sarita Jacob Simone, accepted the Sport Impact Award for Sport & Gender, presented to Futebol dá Força at the 2025 Sport Impact Awards in Kigali, Rwanda.
The ceremony gathered global changemakers using sport for equality and inclusion — a moment that highlighted how far our work has come in Mozambique.
Why This Matters
Força girls are showing what becomes possible when they have safe spaces, supportive coaches, and access to information about their rights. Through the workshops held during each training session and match, girls also build practical life skills — from confidence and communication to decision-making and understanding their bodies — helping them navigate challenges on and off the field.
Child Marriage: Less than 1% of Força girls enter child marriage, compared to 17% nationally by age 15 (Girls Not Brides, 2024).
Adolescent Pregnancy: Under 1% of Força girls (under 16) experience early pregnancy, while 14% of girls nationally become mothers by 15 (UNICEF, 2021).
Primary School Completion: 99% of Força girls finish primary school, compared to 55.9% nationally (UNICEF, 2023).
Secondary School Transition: 99% of Força girls enter secondary school, while only 30% of girls nationally make this transition (World Bank Gender Data Portal, 2022).
These differences show how transformative it is when girls are given support, safety, information, and the chance to lead — and why this work remains so urgent.
Your Support Drives This Change
This year has brought challenges, but your generosity ensures that over 34,000 girls continue to have access to safe spaces, supportive role models, and the knowledge they need to make empowered decisions.
Because of you, girls across Mozambique are learning that their dreams matter — and that they have the right to pursue them.
We are deeply grateful. Together, we keep moving forward.
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