Nike’s TOMA Tournament Finally Gave Street Soccer Its Moment
On Sunday, June 7, 2026, as everyone looked forward to the World Cup coming to North America, over 150 top young street soccer players took over Griffith Park Pool in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and New York City for TOMA Live. They played the way many of us did growing up: with creativity, improvisation, and pure joy. On small fields—1-on-1, 3-on-3, and 4-on-4—they competed for city and regional titles while live music played and fans around the world watched online.
For those of us who grew up in Latin America, playing soccer on cracked concrete or making a ball from empty juice cartons was almost a rite of passage. And Sunday night took us back in time. TOMA Live asked the question for us: What if we rebuilt soccer culture from the ground up?
The Day Street Soccer Went Global
TOMA Live became a cultural celebration happening in three cities at once. TOMA El Juego (“Take the Game”) is Nike’s free, community-led street soccer platform created to spotlight the next generation of global ballers. The livestream, available on Amazon Prime Video, Twitch, and Amazon Music, brought together people hungry for realness and authentic experiences. Los Angeles hosted the main broadcast from the birthplace of TOMA El Juego, which started locally and grew into a global movement. Mexico City held the Latin America Finals, bringing together teams from across the region. And New York hosted The Showdown with the Steve Nash Foundation, connecting top street players with legendary soccer figures.
Unlike traditional tournaments with big teams and strict rules, these small-sided games focused on street culture and real experiences.
What’s more, artists with deep ties to soccer and street culture, like Ryan Castro, Chino Pacas, Clave Especial, and Young Miko, performed throughout the night. DJs kept the energy high. Nike athletes, rising stars, creators, and Twitch streamers also made appearances, reminding everyone that this movement is for all. It is for those who loved playing outside more than sitting in front of a screen.
At the heart of the LA experience was “THE POOL,” an immersive street soccer finals held at Griffith Park Pool. Nike transformed the iconic venue into a custom-built small-sided football arena under the lights, creating a space unlike anything traditional soccer culture had ever offered. With no stadium walls or formal seating, just lights, concrete, and competition, THE POOL stripped football back to its purest form. The event drew legendary names—Zlatan Ibrahimović, Clint Dempsey, and DeMar DeRozan among them—all there to witness what street soccer could become when the world was watching.
Product drops and Nike gear designed by the community celebrated the cities and groups that shaped the event. But the most important part of the night was not about what you could buy—it was about representation.
The Movement That Made This Happen
TOMA Live lasts only one night. But TOMA El Juego is a year-round movement that has already changed more than 20 cities on six continents. It started in Los Angeles in places like Compton, the 6th Street Bridge, Venice Beach, and Melrose Hill. And reimagined what community soccer could be. Rather than traditional stadium environments, TOMA activates courts, streets, bridges, beaches, pools, and overlooked public spaces to create immersive soccer experiences rooted directly within local communities.
Today, the tournament has rapidly expanded into a global movement. It spans more than 20 cities across six continents, including Los Angeles, Mexico City, Seoul, Santiago, Lima, Miami, Casablanca, and beyond.
In other words, TOMA recognized what immigrant and multicultural communities have always known: soccer does not belong to institutions. It belongs to the streets. TOMA live-streamed globally on June 7, 2026, via Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Music, reaching millions. The overall finals will come to New York in mid-June, bringing the same energy and authenticity to another city. TOMA El Juego is just getting started.