THEY come from more than 20 countries... but football brings them together.

And on Sunday the beautiful game will be helping build community with the Refugee Festival Scotland 2018 Football Tournament.

Some 20 teams from organisations as diverse as Glasgow Afghan United, Police Scotland and Maryhill Housing Association will be playing to win.

The football tournament, held tomorrow at Toryglen Regional Football Centre, is organised by Glasgow Afghan United and the Scottish Unity Football League.

Organisers said the event aims to bring together local communities with ethnic minority communities and refugee communities.

Sport is used as a way to hit back at discrimination and allow anyone of any race, religion, nationality, age or sexual orientation to compete.

Around 300 people are expected to attend with an open invite to football fans or anyone interested to come along and cheer on the teams between 11am and 4pm.

There will be 20 teams of seven-a-side with winning teams awarded a trophy and two top teams awarded medals.

Abdul Bostani, an organiser of the event, said more than 50 nationalities will attend.

He added: "This football tournament is very important for us because this week there is a day for refugees across the world and we are celebrating this in Scotland.

"We want to bring refugee communities and local communities together.

"This tournament shows that local communities are welcoming, they are saying to refugees, 'You are welcome in Scotland,' and standing shoulder to shoulder.

"A lot of refugees are isolated because of language and cultural barriers and so can't meet people.

"But you can bring people together to kick a ball.

"Once they kick the ball there is no need to struggle with language barriers.

"You don't feel isolated because you are a team altogether.

"You just want to win the match, working together, no matter where you come from."

Glasgow Life, the Sport Council for Glasgow, Scottish Unity Football League, Scottish Refugee Council, Show Racism the Red Card, NG Homes and local politicians are all supporting the tournament.

Glasgow Afghan United was set up in 2004 and works with grassroots communities to improve the lives of Afghans and ethnic minority communities living in Glasgow.

It aims to promotie sport, health and well-being, social integration and active citizenship.

The organisation is one of the most diverse in the city and works with refugees and asylum seekers from more than 20 nationalities: Afghan, Syrian, Chinese, Iranian, Pakistani, Indian Polish, Roma, Cameroonian, Congolese, Zambian, Jamaican, Somalian, British, Portuguese, Spanish, Iraqi, Nepalese, Turkish, Kurdish, and Libyan.

The team uses football to build links between local disadvantaged communities.