Here's who's missing at the World Cup: Soccer-playing grannies!

Published June 14, 2026 · Category: News

Overview

Rossina Mathye, 84 (center), was one of the original Vakhegula Vakhegula players — the name for the team from Tzaneen means "Grandmothers, Grandmothers." "Exercise is good for me," she says of her soccer career, which took her to the U.S. in 2010 to play in a special match for older women. Mathye, who has 10 grandchildren and is a great grandmother, no longer plays. "My knees are sore, so I stopped," she says. "Now I sit and watch. Now I

The World Cup isn't the only global soccer event of note. Check out the Grannies International Football Tournament.

Details

(Image credit: Samantha Reinders for NPR)

Source

Originally published at www.npr.org.

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