FIFA has announced that Calm (www.Calm.com) – the #1 app for sleep, meditation and relaxation – will be the ‘Official Mindfulness and Meditation Product’ of the FIFA World Cup 2022™, FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ and FIFAe Nations Cup 2023™.

Calm and FIFA join forces to bring tools to support mental health to the global football community ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022™ kick off in November. As part of the collaboration, all players, coaches and training staff participating in both the men’s and women’s World Cups will receive free Calm subscriptions to help them prepare for matches, as well as the FIFA workforce and the thousands of volunteers who support and facilitate the biggest football events on the planet. What’s more, in order to ensure that the entire global football community has access to Calm’s mental wellness tools, fans will receive 50% off subscriptions via exclusive offers prior to the FIFA World Cup 2022 and other FIFA events.

“Mental and physical health are equal partners in the combined well-being of a person, and care for both must be seen as integral in caring for the footballing family,” said Andrew Massey, FIFA’s Director of Medical. “As a sporting community, we need to create an environment that better supports mental well-being and mental health. The well-being of footballers at all levels of the game has always been and will always be the top priority of FIFA, as can be seen with this collaboration.”

“We’re proud to team up with FIFA, bringing mental wellness tools to the global football community,” added Fergal Walker, Calm’s VP Partnerships. “This is just the beginning of our work together, and we’re excited for what’s to come as we integrate mental health into football, for players, for staff and of course for the fans.’

FIFA is committed to using football as a tool to support mental health globally through its #ReachOut (https://fifa.fans/3zPu7lz) campaign, designed to raise awareness of the symptoms of mental health conditions, encourage people to seek help when they need it, and take actions every day for better mental health.

Globally, Calm has helped countless members find an overall boost in their mental well-being - be that from better sleep or an increased sense of mental health. Calm user studies have proven the effectiveness of Calm content – 84% better mental state, 81% less stress, and 73% better sleep quality reported by regular users of the app. 

In addition to the Calm subscription offer, Calm and FIFA will collaborate on creating mindfulness content intended to help members of the football community “find their calm” on matchdays and beyond. This will feature a series of webinars and educational online sessions aimed at the football community, including FIFA’s 211 member associations, exploring how mindfulness is crucial to the well-being of high-performance athletes, gamers, workforce and fans. FIFA and Calm will be inviting any professional within the game who has struggled with mental health to come and be part of this unique collaboration.