Football legend Jean-Marie Pfaff inaugurates football pitches for underprivileged youth in Mexico

Exactly 40 years after the successful 1986 World Cup, Jean-Marie Pfaff revisited Mexico, this time as the newly appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the World Villages for Children Foundation. Our national football hero remains remarkably popular there to this day. Our embassy provided comprehensive support for the visit.

The cheers and jubilation from the recent World Cup had barely faded when our embassy in Mexico City had the pleasure of welcoming Jean-Marie Pfaff. The Belgian football legend visited the vibrant Latin American country from 10 to 18 August 2026.

The house by the hearth

Many doubtless remember the connection our legendary goalkeeper shares with Mexico. At the 1986 World Cup – exactly four decades ago – he played as goalkeeper for the Red Devils there. Belgium's national heroes achieved a fourth-place finish. Jean-Marie Pfaff became known as El Simpático and enjoyed immense popularity in Mexico itself.

What far fewer people know is that, during their stay in Toluca in 1986, our Red Devils were astounded by the large number of street children. They consequently decided to donate a portion of their match bonuses – amounting to around 10,000 dollars – to a local project offering a welcoming home to underprivileged children.

Casa Hogar – ‘the house by the hearth’ – was born. Since then, the project has offered 250 children the prospect of a hopeful future. However, the project operates on a comparatively limited scale. Our charismatic compatriot – at 73 – therefore decided to take on a new commitment. He became Goodwill Ambassador for the Belgian World Villages for Children Foundation this year.

This foundation supports over 20,000 children living in extreme poverty across Mexico, the Philippines, Guatemala, Brazil, Honduras, and Tanzania. It provides a safe home, healthy nutrition, quality education, medical care, and more. The foundation's roots lie in Mexico, established via the Sisters of Mary in 1991.

Ceremonial kick-off

The purpose of the journey was not only to gain first-hand insight into the work of World Villages, but above all to showcase its results. At Boystown (Villa de los Niños) in Guadalajara – a boarding school for nearly 2,000 underprivileged boys – Jean-Marie Pfaff joined the children to perform the ceremonial kick-off for five new football pitches. One of them features his logo on the centre circle.

Afterwards, he visited Girlstown (Villa de las Niñas) in Chalco, a boarding school for around 3,500 girls. There, he conducted a feasibility assessment for the construction of several new football pitches. After all, girls are entitled to the exact same opportunities as boys.

Why is sport so important? According to World Villages, “sport is about much more than winning or losing. It teaches children perseverance, taking responsibility, and believing in their own potential.” The football pitches will "become a place where thousands of young people can play sport, collaborate, and gain self-confidence". For such a mission, Pfaff – who used sport to lift himself out of poverty – is naturally an ideal ambassador.

Live interview

Our embassy quite rightly threw its support behind Jean-Marie Pfaff’s visit, undertaken in tandem with Davy De Witte, Director of Wereld Dorpen (World Villages). Pfaff remains very popular in Mexico to this day, and his presence alone brightens Belgium's image. It was indeed striking to note that he is still frequently approached for autographs and selfies.

No fewer than three major Mexican television channels invited El Simpático for an interview. In addition to Fox Sports and Televisa, this included ESPN, where he was interviewed live for 20 minutes in front of three million viewers.

The channel asked him, among other things, about a goosebumps moment in the famous Azteca Stadium during the 1986 World Cup. Pfaff recounted that at the start of the Spain–Belgium match, 120,000 fans chanted "Es-pa-ña!", whilst a handful of Belgians barely dared to shout "België".

But during the match, he saved every Spanish shot, so that after the final whistle, a deafening "Bél-gi-ca!" echoed through the stadium. The Red Devils had put Belgium on the map – and in the Panini album.

Business lunch

During their stay, both Pfaff and De Witte were guests at the residence of the Belgian ambassador for a few days. Upon their arrival, they were welcomed by a number of Dutch-speaking Belgians living in Mexico.

On 17 August, our colleagues organised a business lunch at the residence to raise funds and thus give the project Mexican ownership as well. To that end, they invited representatives from Mexican trade associations, sectoral federations, and Belgian and Mexican companies. Pfaff wishes, after all, to expand the operations of World Villages to other major Mexican cities, such as Toluca and León.

Our embassy can certainly look back on the visit with satisfaction. El Simpático can still count on a great deal of goodwill among Mexicans and places our country in a positive light. We also wish to continue supporting him in his dedication to underprivileged children, using sport as a source of motivation. A return visit is already planned for the end of the year to build upon the contacts forged during the business lunch.