Efor, partner of Festival 26: when sport becomes a driver of inclusion

From 5 to 13 July, Efor was proud to be a partner of Festival 26, an international football tournament held in Boston and organised by Sport dans la Ville and Boston SCORES. On this occasion, our US teams also attended the opening ceremony of this unique event, which brings together hundreds of young people from all over the world around a shared passion: sport.

Beyond the competition itself, Festival 26 carries a powerful ambition: to make football a vehicle for dialogue, inclusion and openness to the world. It is a vision that resonates fully with Efor’s values.

A tournament that brings together young people from around the world

As Nelson Mandela once said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”

Festival 26 is a perfect illustration of this.

Over nine days, more than 400 young people aged 18 to 25, representing 24 countries across five continents, came together in Boston to share far more than football matches.

The delegations taking part represent organisations that use sport as a lever for youth empowerment, social inclusion, health promotion, equal opportunity and the empowerment of young women.

The objective is clear: to encourage cultural exchange, allow participants to share their ideas and experiences, build lasting connections across borders and foster international collaboration — between young people, between clubs, and also between Boston SCORES and Sport dans la Ville.

By discovering other cultures, engaging with young people from different backgrounds and building relationships that endure well beyond the tournament, participants fully embody the spirit of Festival 26.

An initiative that echoes Efor’s own story

This partnership holds particular meaning for Efor.

It creates a bridge between our French and American teams while echoing our own roots. Like Efor, Sport dans la Villewas founded in Lyon. Now France’s leading association for social and professional integration through sport, it supports thousands of young people from underserved neighbourhoods every year on their path to personal and professional success.

Supporting an initiative of this kind means bringing to life the values we hold dear: inclusion, sharing, openness to others and equal opportunity.

Acting beyond our core business

At Efor, we are convinced that our impact goes beyond the projects we deliver for our clients.

Supporting initiatives such as Festival 26 means contributing, in our own way, to building a more open, more inclusive and more connected society. It also means encouraging exchange between cultures, fostering youth engagement and backing projects that create lasting value for local areas and their communities.

We are proud to have supported this edition and warmly thank Sport dans la Ville, Boston SCORES, as well as all the volunteers, partners and participants who helped make Festival 26 a genuine success.