Getting to safety is just one challenge for some 50 million refugee and migrant children around the world. After that, they have to settle into their new lives — and face a new set of obstacles.

Xenophobia, the fear and hatred of foreigners, has been on the rise around the world. Migrants and refugees are perceived as outsiders, making them unwelcome guests with locals. Lost in all this are the most innocent and vulnerable victims of the crisis: the children, who not only often undergo harrowing journeys, but also not accepted in their new home countries once they arrive.

Our objective was to come up with a creative idea that would help UNICEF shift perceptions and attitudes that contribute to xenophobia against children.

“What Excites Us, Unites Us” is a global campaign to unite locals and migrants through their shared passion for football, during the 2018 World Cup.

The campaign was led by a marquee film telling the story of an 8-year-old migrant boy who overcame xenophobia with a football. After migrating from Bolivia to Spain, Santi had trouble making friends — until one day, he joined a group of local boys playing football, and blocked a game-saving goal attempt with his head. Santi and his friends are surprised by their hero, football star and Spanish team captain Sergio Ramos, who brings a message of acceptance for migrant and refugee children.

The film directs viewers to add their voice to the #LongestGoal challenge, cheering in solidarity with migrants and refugees worldwide.

It’s harder to hate someone when you share the same passions. And the love of football goes beyond borders.

When children migrate to a new country, they may be perceived as outsiders, but the truth is, they are just kids who want to belong. To fit in and make friends in their new neighborhoods, football can be an extremely powerful force. People unite passionately over the sport and its star players all over Europe and around the world. Whether cheering on the home team or playing in a pickup match, the excitement and camaraderie of football can help kids gain acceptance and bond with their peers.

The film telling Santiago’s story was published during the FIFA World Cup and featured Sergio Ramos issuing a challenge to fans to take the #LongestGoal challenge on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

Our campaign film was translated to Spanish, English, French, and Arabic, and launched on World Refugee Day, during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Sergio Ramos promoted the film to his 70 million followers, and kicked off the “Longest Goal Challenge,” calling World Cup fans to cheer “Gooooooaaaaaaal” in solidarity with migrant and refugee children everywhere. Around the globe, fans submitted to our #longestgoal challenge, taking a stance to fight xenophobia. The best “goals” of the challenge were broadcast on billboards around the world, including Times Square and Tokyo, rallying the world in support of the rights and well-being of refugee and migrant children.

Over 30 UNICEF offices worldwide participated in the effort, hosting local on-the-ground activations to bring children together through sport.

When the world was on their feet cheering for World Cup goals, they were also standing up for migrant children.

2.2 million social interactions

14 million video views

3.1 billion total reach

The campaign made international news, receiving 282 mentions in media outlets in relation to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The film was seeded on UNICEF’s global social media platforms and shared by Sergio Ramos on his platforms reaching millions, and a huge network of football fans. Ramos even dedicated one of the Spanish team’s World Cup wins to the cause, tweeting: “This win is dedicated to migrant and refugee children, especially on #WorldRefugeeDay.”

Between 19 June and 15 July, the microsite generated 154,388 unique page views, with an average time on page of 5:05 minutes — which is 138% higher than the average time spent on the unicef.org site during this same period (2:08 minutes).