The annual football tournament is due to take place in the heart of the city on George Square from July 10 to 16 

A total of 64 teams, representing 51 countries, will come together to celebrate and highlight the year-round work of the Homeless World Cup National Partner network.

George Square will be converted into an outdoor street football venue for the event, featuring three purpose-built pitches with seating.

The Square has been the focal point for Glasgow’s Street Football finals since 2012.

The Street Football programme provides diversionary activities for young people aged between 12 and 18 years, with an average 1,200 players taking part in weekly sessions across the city.

Up to 100,000 of spectators are expected to attend the tournament, for which entry is free every day and tickets are not required.

The 2016 Homeless World Cup is the 14th edition of the tournament.

The first edition took place in Graz, Austria in 2003, and it was last hosted in Scotland in 2005, in Edinburgh.

The tournament returns to Scotland as part of a partnership between the Homeless World Cup Foundation, the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council.

"We are happy to be bringing the Homeless World Cup back to Scotland after 11 years, and know Glasgow will be an amazing host city, with George Square the focal point," said Mel Young, President of the Homeless World Cup Foundation and co-founder of The Big Issue magazine in Scotland.

"We are delighted to be working in partnership with The Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council, and Culture Sport Glasgow to deliver what we’re sure will be the biggest tournament yet."

Young added: "What is important for me to stress is that this is significantly more than a football tournament; it’s a real celebration of optimism.

"We will have 512 players with us, and every single one of them is at some stage of their journey towards a more stable future.

"Their personal stories are remarkable, often very moving, but they reflect a real sense of hope for social justice.

"We want people to come to George Square in their tens of thousands this July, and feel that sense of optimism, and to be inspired by it.

"Knowing Glasgow as we do, there are surely few better places in the world to celebrate our movement."

The Homeless World Cup has now supported more than one million people across the globe, engaging 100,000 people annually, it is claimed.

Through each country’s official National Partner, those who are homeless - for which there are dozens of different definitions across the world - have the opportunity to enter transformative programmes from which they can build a brighter life.

The 2016 Homeless World Cup will be the culmination of a year of progress for each country and player involved.

Teams are invited to Glasgow following an application process, alongside an assessed scoring system that includes analysis of each National Partner programme’s activity over the last 12 months.

Last year’s Homeless World Cup was held in Amsterdam, where Mexico beat Ukraine 5-2 in the final.

Glasgow, hosts of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, staged last year's Artistic Gymnastics World Championships which was named Sporting Event of the Year for 2015 at the Scottish Sports Awards.