In the COP End: COP30 Kicks Off in Belém

The world's eyes are on Brazil. But this time, it isn't for the World Cup — it's COP30, and we're in extra time against our toughest rival yet: climate change.

COP stands for Conference of the Parties and refers to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) international conference focusing on climate. There are climate COPs each year, and they take place in a different host city each time. The 30th iteration of the meeting kicked off in Belém, Brazil this week.

As climate negotiations continue in Belém, the jogo bonito is showing its power to unite. Players, fans, and communities are lining up behind climate action, and football is taking its climate work to the world stage.

Earth FC (Terra FC) has launched ahead of COP30, turning the summit into its stage. The message is simple: join the game to save the game. Flooded pitches, heat-stressed players, disrupted seasons mean that football itself is under threat. Earth FC wants to use COP30 as the starting whistle for a comeback. Behind it: a coalition of clubs, community groups, and youth organisations convened by Onda Solidária and Count Us In, driving climate action from grassroots to elite level.

The campaign's been building momentum across Brazil. The EcoFut Summit in São Paulo brought clubs, players, and activists together to explore how football can lead on sustainability. The Game for the Earth in Rio united former stars, emerging talents, and figures like Prince William and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to raise funds for Amazon reforestation and flood recovery.

Then came the Re-Pa derby. One of Brazilian football's fiercest rivalries, Clube do Remo versus Paysandu, was united for ninety minutes. Players, mascots, and fans from both sides lined up together for Play for Earth, broadcast to millions across Brazil. Rivalry set aside, same cause: protect the game. Earth FC are setting the tempo, proving that despite traditional rivalries, football can rally behind one team: Team Earth.

Adapt2Win has also stepped onto the pitch. Featuring around 40 elite athletes - including footballers like Raheem Sterling and Brazil's own Tamires Dias - the campaign demands that world leaders recognize adaptation as essential, not optional. Resilience isn't just a tactic anymore. It's the only way to keep playing. And they want to land this message at the conference.

There's more to come throughout the two weeks in Belém. Watch how football uses its voice where it counts - in the negotiating rooms, on pitches and on the streets, advocating for climate action, adaptation, and the future of the game itself.

Time is running out, but in the COP end, the fans are louder than ever. The world is watching. And football is finally in the room where it happens.