Westfield Local Headed To 2026 Transplant Football World Cup To Represent U.S.

WESTFIELD, NJ — More than a decade after receiving a liver transplant, Westfield resident Matt Felix is set to represent the United States at the 2026 Transplant Football World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany.

The tournament is scheduled for Sept. 13 to 18 and is hosted by the World Transplant Games Federation. It brings together transplant recipient athletes from around the world.

Felix, a longtime advocate for NJ Sharing Network, said the trip is about more than soccer.

"I feel incredibly fortunate to have been given a second chance at life, and I want people to understand just how powerful the gift of organ donation can be," Felix said. "A transplant doesn't just save your life – it gives you the opportunity to live it, to stay active, to pursue the things you love and to do things you may never have imagined possible."

A 1981 graduate of Summit High School, Felix has lived in Westfield for decades and has stayed involved in soccer throughout his life.

His connection to the sport began when his family moved from Philadelphia to Vienna, Austria, when he was 6, NJ Sharing Network.

After returning to New Jersey, he played at Summit High School and later continued at the University of Richmond.

In 2012, Felix's health worsened after living for about two decades with primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC, a disease affecting the bile ducts that eventually caused his liver to fail.

Doctors told him he needed a liver transplant. After word spread through the Westfield soccer community, an email about his need for a transplant reached Patrick Kacani, Felix's former University of Richmond teammate, roommate and fraternity brother in Richmond, Virginia.

Kacani chose to be tested as a potential living liver donor.

"He just decided he was going to be my donor," Felix recalled. "There was no hesitation. He saw what I was going through and simply wanted to help give me my life back."

Kacani was a match and donated a portion of his liver to Felix on Nov. 27, 2012.

Felix later became involved in donation awareness events, fundraisers and community activities through NJ Sharing Network.

He also competed with other transplant recipients as a member of Team Liberty at the Transplant Games of America.

In 2024, he played for Team USA at the inaugural Transplant Football World Cup in Cervia, Italy, where the team finished ninth and Felix scored the winning goal in a 2-1 final-match victory over Northern Ireland.

"What's unique about the soccer tournament is that not only are you a transplant recipient, but you also have soccer in common," he said. "It creates an incredible connection among people from all over the world who might otherwise have never crossed paths."

According to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, more than 100,000 Americans, including more than 3,000 New Jerseyans, are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.

To learn more or register as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.NJSharingNetwork.org.

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