Why England World Cup stars are saying it’s not coming home

England defenders John Stones and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be playing in the Qatar World Cup to the sound of chants of ‘It’s Coming Home’ – but they’re among a host of football stars saying the opposite in a bid to combat youth homelessness.

Stones and Alexander-Arnold have joined Lionesses star Beth Mead, England World Cup legend Sir Geoff Hurst and pundit Micah Richards in saying ‘It’s NOT Coming Home’ in a new charity film.

The football stars, alongside other famous faces including comedian Jack Whitehall, rugby and Strictly star Ugo Monye and TV personality Mark Wright, are backing Centrepoint’s new campaign to prevent 30,000 young people from becoming homeless this winter.

The charity is predicting a surge in homelessness for 16- to 24-year-olds as the cost of living crisis bites – equivalent to five for every minute played at the World Cup in Qatar, which kicks off on Sunday.

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That prediction is based on figures from Centrepoint’s Youth Homelessness Databank which uses Freedom of Information requests to track the number of young people approaching their local authority because they are homeless or at risk of losing their home.

Seyi Obakin, Centrepoint chief executive, said the charity’s estimate of how many young people are at risk of homelessness is a “conservative” warning and it is likely that the true number is “significantly higher”.

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“Everyone should be able to keep a roof over their heads, pay their bills and put food on the table,” said Obakin.

“That is becoming increasingly difficult for the country’s most vulnerable young people, some of whom have just £5 a week to live on after rent and bills. This comes at an enormous personal cost of skipped meals, poor mental health and isolation. 

“The government has taken some steps to support young people during this crisis, but it’s clear that they are still struggling. We need further action if we are to avoid more and more young people facing homelessness.”