OLLY Murs has completed one of the toughest challenges of his life – and raised a six-figure sum for charity in the process.
The Troublemaker singer over five days to mark Soccer Aid for Unicef’s 20th anniversary.
Olly Murs at the start line if his Into The Unknown challenge Credit: PA
And almost 250 miles later, at the finish line Credit: Getty
When is Soccer Aid 2026?
returns on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at the London Stadium.
An England side managed by co-founder will take on a World XI led by sprint legend .
The event starts at 6.30pm with a 7.30pm kick-off, and airs live on ITV1 and ITVX. and are presenting, with Sam Matterface on commentary.
Adult tickets start from £20 and juniors £10 via the official Soccer Aid website , with around 60,000 fans expected through the gates.
What was Olly Murs’ Soccer Aid challenge?
challenge was called Into The Unknown.
He ran, rowed and cycled 249 miles (400km) from to across five days.
It kicked off on Monday, May 11 and wrapped up on Friday, May 15, with each day testing him on tough terrain, punishing climbs and stretches of open water.
The third leg saw him , tackling more than 60 miles through the Midlands in torrential rain, with a last-minute reroute thrown in to dodge a local fire.
A video was posted on the official Soccer Aid page with the caption: “2 days and 1 toenail down.
“However hard it gets, Olly is pushing through because he’s seen first-hand how Soccer Aid for Unicef changes children’s lives worldwide.”
He completed the penultimate day on his 42nd birthday, with local runners joining him on his final stretch to St Albans Cathedral.
The dad-of-two was inspired to take the challenge on after a recent Unicef trip to Bucharest, Romania, where he visited a project supporting Ukrainian children displaced by conflict.
How much money did Olly Murs raise for Soccer Aid?
By the time crossed the finish line at London Stadium on Friday, his five-day endurance challenge had raised an incredible £832,257 for Soccer Aid for Unicef.
Donations are still rolling in, with organisers urging supporters to help push the total to £1million by the time the all-star match kicks off on Sunday, May 31.
If you would like to add to the impressive total by donating, you can do so at: socceraid.org.uk/challenge/ . Every pound donated to Soccer Aid for Unicef is being doubled – up to £6million – thanks to the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
In tears at the finish line, the singer told ITV’s : “I am in bits. That run from central London to here was so painful, but I just kept thinking, I gotta get to the end.
“Thank you to everyone. The donations have been amazing, and it surpassed my expectations how amazing this has been.
“To be given the opportunity from Soccer Aid, who have been an amazing part of my life, so to be able to do this and to raise that sort of money, I’m just really proud of myself and proud of the fact that Soccer Aid, still to this day, is such a huge that does so much with Unicef to help kids around the world – it’s amazing.”
Olly will also play for the England team in the main match on Sunday, May 31 – his first on-field Soccer Aid appearance since 2021.
Fans can relive the full challenge in a one-off documentary on and at 9pm on Friday, May 29.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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