Soccer Aid 2022: Who's playing at Soccer Aid this year?

Soccer Aid 2022: Andrea Pirlo
(Image credit: PA)

Soccer Aid 2022 kicks off on June 12 to raise money for Unicef – and it's bringing together some big names from football and beyond.

Now in its 11th year, the game used to be held every other year but has since become an annual event with regulars appearing for both England and a Rest of the World side that has previously boasted Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho.

Here's who to look out for this time around – and here's everything you need to know about the charity spectacular.

Soccer Aid 2022: The England squad

Soccer Aid 2022: Who's playing for England?

Celebrities

Liam Payne (captain)

Former One Direction member Liam Payne is set to appear in his first Soccer Aid and will captain England.

Lucien Laviscount

Lucien Laviscount is making his Soccer Aid debut. The Emily in Paris and Waterloo Road actor appeared in a charity match for Sport Relief back in 2010.

Tom Grennan

Singer and Manchester United fan Tom Grennan played at left-back for the Rest of the World last year, thanks to his Irish heritage. His song, 'Found What I've Been Looking For' was the Sky Sports Premier League intro song between 2017 and 2019. 

Chunkz

YouTuber Chunkz appeared at last year's Soccer Aid for England, coming on as a substitute as a striker. His channel has 1.8 million subscribers and 142 million video views.

Alex Brooker

The Last Leg star and comedian Alex Brooker is an Arsenal fan, making his first appearance at Soccer Aid. He has a prosthetic leg and will become the first-ever physically disabled participant in the game.

Damian Lewis

Homeland star Damian Lewis is a regular with four appearances at Soccer Aid. The actor is a Liverpool fan.

Mo Farah

Gold-medal winning long-distance runner Mo Farah has twice appeared as a right-back for England at Soccer Aid and supports Arsenal. 

Mark Wright

Reality TV star Mark Wright had a youth career at Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham before playing lower league football. Last season, he was signed by Crawley Town and appeared against Leeds United in the FA Cup.

David Harewood

David Harewood has appeared twice as a goalkeeper in Soccer Aid and is best recognised for roles in Homeland and Supergirl.

Aitch

Brit-nominated rapper Aitch is making his debut at Soccer Aid. 

Mark Noble

(Image credit: Getty)

Football legends

David James

Former England goalkeeper James has appeared twice before at Soccer Aid and played for the likes of Liverpool and Aston Villa in his career.

Gary Neville

Gary Neville won eight Premier League titles with Manchester United and now works as a pundit on Sky Sports. He made his Soccer Aid debut in 2021. 

Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher won the Champions League with Liverpool and is also now a pundit on Sky Sports. He too made his Soccer Aid debut in 2021. 

Anita Asante

Anita Asante played 70 times for England played for Arsenal and England women. 2022 will be her first Soccer Aid.

Fara Williams

Fara Williams is the highest-capped England player ever. She played at the 2021 Soccer Aid.

Joe Cole

Joe Cole played for Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool in his career. He will be making his fourth appearance at Soccer Aid.

Mark Noble

Recently retired West Ham legend Mark Noble will be appearing at the London Stadium for his Soccer Aid debut in 2022. 

Teddy Sheringham

Teddy Sheringham won the Treble with Manchester United in 1999, played for Tottenham and West Ham and has played at Soccer Aid three times already. 

Eniola Aluko

Former Chelsea and England legend Eni Aluko will be making her Soccer Aid debut in 2022. 

Soccer Aid 2022: The Rest of the World squad

Soccer Aid 2022: Who's playing for the Rest of the World?

Celebrities

Usain Bolt (captain)

Fastest man in the world Usain Bolt is a huge Manchester United fan and has appeared at three Soccer Aid games before. The Jamaican spinter is captain of the RotW team.

Martin Compston

Scottish actor Martin Compston is best known for appearing in cop thriller Line of Duty. He has played at four Soccer Aid games.

Mo Gilligan

TV presenter and stand-up comedian Mo Gilligan has appeared at the last two Soccer Aid games for Rest of the World, owing to his Jamaican heritage. 

Chelcee Grimes

Representing the Republic of Ireland, Chelcee Grimes has written songs for Kylie Minogue and Dua Lipa, while also playing football for Everton, Tottenham and Fulham. She is now a presenter for the BBC and COPA90.

Steven Bartlett

Botswana-born Steven Bartlett is the co-founder of Social Chain and a Dragon BBC's Dragon's Den

Lee Mack

Comedian Lee Mack has appeared for both England and the Republic of Ireland at Soccer Aid. He will make his fifth appearance this summer.

Noah Beck

Social media personality Noah Beck is from the United States and has never appeared at Soccer Aid before. He was a midfielder for the Portland Pilots during his college career. 

Munya Chawawa

British-Zimbabwean comedian Munya Chawawa is making his Soccer Aid debut. 

Kem Cetinay

TV personality and former Love Island contestant Kem Cetinay is of Turkish Cypriot descent and has three goals in three appearances at Soccer Aid.

Mark Strong

Actor Mark Strong has appeared in films such as Kingsmen and Fever Pitch. An Arsenal fan, he is making his Soccer Aid debut for the Rest of the World, thanks to being born to an Austrian mother and Italian father.

Tom Stoltman

Tom Stoltman is a British strongman competitor from Invergordon, Scotland making his debut. 

Cafu

(Image credit: Getty)

Football legends

Petr Cech

Former Chelsea and Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Cech is making his debut.

Patrice Evra

French left-back Patrice Evra won a Champions League with Manchester United and is making his third Soccer Aid appearance.

Cafu

Brazil legend Cafu has appeared twice before at Soccer Aid and won two World Cups.

Roberto Carlos

Fellow Brazilian full-back Roberto Carlos is also a World Cup winner and will make his second Soccer Aid performance after withdrawing from his last appearance. 

Andrea Pirlo

Italian World Cup winner and king of cool Andrea Pirlo makes his debut this time around. He last managed Juventus last season.

Heather O'Reilly

Heather O'Reilly is a legend of the United States national women's team with over 230 appearances, three Olympic gold medals and a World Cup. This is her first Soccer Aid. 

Carli Lloyd

Carli Lloyd is a two-time World Cup winner with the United States and a four-time Olympian. She is making her debut this summer at Soccer Aid.

Andriy Shevchenko

Ukrainian Ballon d'Or winner Andriy Shevchenko is also making his second Soccer Aid appearance this summer. 

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.