For a famously fit community, sports are still a sticky subject among LGBTQ+ people. Fútbol in particular is synonymous with on-the-field aggressiveness and casually homophobic language flying from the stands. And yet, whether because of Latine upbringings overrun with checkered balls, or a natural hunger for collective experience, rainbow teams are growing in popularity. These days, local leagues are staples of every Pride march, while the Gay Games remain the world’s top stage for athletic excellence beyond a repressive hetero-cis establishment.
As we enter the 2026 Men’s World Cup, the fact that not a single out player will be marching onto the field evidences the long road ahead for LGBTQ+ inclusion in professional sports. But it’s hard to criticize this deafening silence when, just last year, the German referee Pascal Kaiser was the victim of back-to-back hate crimes after proposing to his partner during a high profile match. The attackers were never caught, raising further concerns for any player that kicks their way out of the closet, not only risking livelihoods but also their physical safety. Ojo, this is an overwhelmingly male problem, since in women’s sports across the board queer visibility is quite high.
Still, the game continues. This year, Colombia’s “Venga Pues, Mor” became the country’s first gay fútbol tournament with eight competing teams from Medellín, Bogotá, Cali, and Villavicencio. Further South, a diligent trans-masculine network is connecting teams from Chile to Brazil, while in Mexico, the post-pandemic work of Guadalajara’s Liga Stonewall helped reintegrate formerly incarcerated LGBTQ+ people back into the community.
The field is ours, too, and the hard work and perseverance of these players and organizers is proof that queer people can never be fully shut out of any space. To keep the cheer wave going, here are 10 Latine teams to check out and support.
Club Deportivo Muxes
This renowned Mexico City team was founded in 2018, embracing the diverse legacy of muxes, a third gender identity common among Oaxaca’s Zapotec communities (home to many of the original players). Two years later, the men’s team became the first LGBT organization to play professionally in the Liga TDP, subsequently launching a women’s team as well as a youth training center. Between their festive pink jerseys and a foam muxe mascot called Juxi, the team brings rainbow cheer at every game.
La Nuestra Fútbol Feminista
An enormous effort in intersectional community building, La Nuestra Fútbol Feminista was created in 2007 in Buenos Aires’ Villa 31, a low-income settlement near the city’s Retiro railway terminal. Spearheaded by former professional player Mónica Santino, the organization’s mission is to create spaces for women, girls, and members of the LGBTQ+ community despite pervasive socio-economic challenges. Their crucial work has been documented in films such as “Un Juego Propio” and “Coordinadora Sin Fronteras: Experiencia de una revolución feminista en el fútbol.”
Disforia FC
Santiago de Chile’s Disforia FC has a mission to make sports a safe and collective experience for trans and non-binary people. Founded in 2019, the team is part of a vibrant national LGBTQ+ fútbol community that also includes Valparaíso’s Club Social Deportivo Travesaño and Los Condores gay men’s team in Santiago. After playing at a historic trans regional tournament in Brazil in 2023, the team has begun crowdfunding in order to compete at this year’s Gay Games in Valencia, Spain.
Sport Clube T Mosqueteiros
São Paulo’s Sport Clube T Mosqueteiros was also founded in 2019, and the trans-masculine organization has knit a crucial network of teams domestically and internationally, even hosting Chile’s Disforia FC in 2023. The team is part of Brazil’s Ligay, a leading force in the nation’s LGBTQ+ sports landscape, and they also participate in advocacy marches as well as community dialogues on sexism, transphobia, and anti-racism.
Los Del Otro Equipo F.C.
Originally started as a casual social meet up in 2021, the Medellín team rapidly grew into one of Colombia’s leading gay sports organizations. This year, they hosted the country’s first gay fútbol tournament, “Venga Pues, Mor,” or MOR, competing against a fleet of regional teams including Freedom FC, Nómadas, and Diversos. And while recent allegations of classist recruitment practices sparked controversy, their organizational prowess is helping to connect LGBTQ+ athletes in Colombia’s supercharged fútbol landscape.
Lésbica Futurista
A primary catalyst behind these teams is collective displays of strength, and Uruguay’s Lésbica Futurista exists at the intersection of the feminist movement, queer dissidence, and space reclamation. Formed in 2022, the team has grown into an active community force, organizing multiple editions of their tournament “En La Cancha Nos Cuidamos” and synchronized protest games with leagues in Chile.
Be Yourself
Pride began as a protest, so why wouldn’t that message carry over into sports? Costa Rica’s Be Yourself began in 2022, facilitating community gatherings on and off the field with Kuir Copas and casual “mejenguitas” where LGBTQ+ players can kick it and bond. Back in May, they teamed up with local organizations such as Morras Futboleras and the Asamblea Anti-Mundialista, brandishing signs criticizing gentrification, economic corruption, and FIFA’s corporate monopoly of the people’s sport.
Las Gardenias de Tepito
In 2015, a Vice documentary put a spotlight on the joyful and irreverent Gardenias de Tepito, a team of travestis and trans women that convene annually at the celebration of San Francisco Asís. Famous for stepping onto the field of El Maracaná in heavy makeup and glam uniforms, fútbol’s baddest ladies are more intent on scoring dates than goals. The team has been active for over 50 years, woven into the fabric of one of Mexico City’s most infamous barrio bravos, but also beloved and protected within this tight community.
Los Dogos
Founded in 1997, Argentina’s Dogos are one of the longest running and most successful gay fútbol teams in the world. They’ve competed internationally at tournaments in the United States, The Netherlands, Germany, and Mexico, and in 2007 won the Gay Football World Championship, which was fittingly hosted in Buenos Aires. The organization remains an international powerhouse to this day, and you can see them competing at the Gay Games in Valencia, Spain, this summer.
Distrito Futebol Clube
Hailing from the city of Brasilia, this eagle-crested team has made a splash with victories at tournaments throughout Western Brazil, and even competing in the massive Champions Ligay held in São Paulo, late last year. A beacon for LGBTQ+ athletes in the interior’s smaller cities, Distrito Futebol Clube is also well versed in politics, speaking out on homophobia from the country’s top sports brass.