A celebration of Italian identity, community, and football brought together FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a constellation of Azzurri icons, and Italian-American leaders in New York City on Sunday, 7 June, for a day of culture, remembrance, and sport.

The event was conceived and organised by the Grow Together Foundation, established in 2024 by Don Luigi Portarulo, a priest who relocated from Italy to New York two years prior to serve the area's Catholic community. The Foundation aims to support the Italian-American community through educational programmes, language lessons, family initiatives, sports activities, and practical assistance.

A gathering at Old Saint Patrick's

The day began with remarks by Infantino at Old Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Lower Manhattan — a church he described as "a place of enormous importance to generations of Italians and Italian-Americans." The FIFA President, himself the son of Italian immigrants to Switzerland, spoke with visible emotion about his upbringing.

"I was always brought up with Italian values in my heart," Infantino said. "The thing that always made us feel Italian and made us feel special was football."

Among the prominent figures in attendance were Alessandra Locatelli, the Italian Minister of Disabilities; Giorgio Marrapodi, the Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations; Giuseppe Pastorelli, the Consul General at the Consulate General of Italy in New York; and Giuseppe Commisso, the President of ACF Fiorentina.

FIFA Legends take to the pitch

A star-studded FIFA Legends squad — featuring Roberto Baggio, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Marco Materazzi, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca Pagliuca, Christian Panucci, Andrea Pirlo, Giuseppe Rossi, Christian Vieri, and Cristian Zaccardo — appeared on the altar at Old Saint Patrick's before taking part in a 7 v 7 match against local community representatives.

The game was held at the Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium on the northern tip of Manhattan, named in honour of the late Rocco Commisso. An Italian immigrant who starred as a player at Columbia University, Rocco Commisso founded Mediacom Communications, rescued the New York Cosmos from extinction in 2017, and acquired ACF Fiorentina in 2019. Under his ownership, the club reached consecutive UEFA Europa Conference League finals in 2023 and 2024, and constructed Viola Park, a state-of-the-art training centre. Giuseppe Commisso assumed the Fiorentina Presidency in January 2026.

Introducing the Legends, Infantino reflected on what those players have meant to Italians living abroad. "Perhaps they don't even realise the emotions they give us, the sense of belonging to the land of our fathers and grandfathers that they have given us," he said. "Whenever they won a (FIFA) World Cup or even just friendly matches, the next day, we Italians abroad would go to the office, to work, to school or to training with the local team, but we'd go with a whole new energy, with joy, with a sense of pride."

Football as a bond across borders

The occasion carried particular poignancy for Italian-Americans in the New York–New Jersey region, who will not see Italy competing at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Yet the spirit of the day made clear that football's power to forge identity and community transcends any qualification campaign.

"From Roberto Baggio to Andrea Pirlo, to 'Bobo' Vieri, to all these incredible legends who are here with us today to give some joy to the Italians who are here in the United States of America, who cannot see their national team at the World Cup, but they see their champions of their hearts playing here in their field," Infantino said after the match.

"Today we celebrated heritage, friendship, inclusion and our shared love for football. Days like these remind me how football creates belonging, strengthens communities and brings people together." — Gianni Infantino