Longtime soccer advocate Diane McGraw is launching the World Peace Project during Philadelphia’s 2026 World Cup summer, according to the source report. The initiative includes a free youth soccer clinic on June 11 at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex, a June 12 U .S. Men’s National Team watch party fundraiser at Stateside Live, and a planned Youth Peace Summit for high school students. McGraw, who helped bring major international soccer to Philadelphia decades before the city became a World Cup host, described the project as a mission-driven effort to use sport for unity and peace.

34 years after a 43,000-person match at Franklin Field

McGraw’s journey to this moment began in 1989, when she staged a U.S. men’s national team match against Dnipro Ukraine at Franklin Field that drew more than 43,000 people, as the source reports. That event helped fund the Philadelphia Sports Congress, U.S. Soccer, and early World Cup efforts — but the city itself did not land the tournament until 2026. “Well, it’s finally here,” McGraw told the publication. “World Cup 2026 coming to the U.S., coming to Philadelphia. And I’ve been waiting for this for 34 years.” The long gap underscores how far the city has come: from skeptical doubters to a host venue for what will be the largest World Cup ever staged.

The Pelé four-leaf cllover that foreshadowed Philadelphia’s World Cup moment

McGraw’s World Cup story includes a personal connection to the late Brazilian legend Pelé, the source notes. She met him years after first crossing paths at a New York Cosmos event ; during a later World Cup-related gathering in Washington, she told him about her effort to bring soccer to Philadelphia. According to the report, Pelé reached into his wallet and gave her a four-leaf clover with a note that read, “Your friend Pelé.” Philadelphia did not get the World Cup then, but McGraw now believes the gesture was a blessing. The anecdote , passed along by the source, adds a layer of lore to the city’s long wait and frames the World Peace Project as a kind of overdue payoff.

A free clinic, a $75 watch party, and a prize of Brazil-Haiti tickets

The World Peace Project’s first two events are modest in scale but symbolic in timing. The free soccer clinic on June 11 runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at WSFS Bank Sportsplex, in partnership with The SWAG, a no-cost training program for under-resourced Philadelphia youth. The folloowing evening, the watch party runs from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Stateside Live, with a reception from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. followed by the USA–Paraguay match from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets are $75 and include a buffet of Philly favorites, live entertainment, and curated Museum of Sports memroabilia, according to the source. As an incentive, fans who buy a ticket are entered to win two tickets to the Brazil-Haiti match in Philadelphia on June 19, plus a pregame hospitality experience at Stateside Live. The report says a roster of “Legends for Peace” athletes — former U.S. National Team, World Cup, and MLS players, along with local Philly sports legends — will attend, though specific names were not disclosed.

Who are the ‘Legends for Peace’ athletes and what happens after the World Cup?

The source leaves several questions open. The identity of the “Legends for Peace” athletes is unconfirmed beyond generic descriptions. More critically, the World Peace Project’s flagship component — a Youth Peace Summit planned for the 2026–27 academic year — has no published date, budget, or curriculum details. The report states that proceeds from the watch party will fund the summit, which will use technology and dialogue to address leadership, conflict resolution, and the responsible use of AI in a global society . But how many students it will reach and whether it will become an annual program remain unknown. the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia serves as fiscal sponsor,and partners including Ciright and BTA Sports have helped launch the project, but no long-term funding commitments have been announced. As the source quotes McGraw, “We need to create a peaceful world for our kids because if we don’t have peace, they don’t have a future.” Turning that sentiment into a durable institution will be the real test.