All the awkward details of Sam Thompson and Louis Tomlinson’s Soccer Aid meet without Zara

For weeks, people have greedily readied themselves for the awkward moment Sam Thompson came face to face with Zara McDermott’s new boo, One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson, at Soccer Aid.

As we know, Sam and Zara ended their five-year relationship for the second time sometime around Christmas 2024 – it turned out he couldn’t, despite Zara’s viral line of “You cannn” living rent-free in the UK’s collective consciousness. As Sam cosied up to Love Island’s Samie Elishi, Zara moved onwards and upwards to the man literally thousands of us had on our walls as kids. Naturally, the long-awaited meeting of Sam Thompson and Louis Tomlinson at Soccer Aid was pegged as the drama of the century.

Thankfully, or disappointingly – depending on who you ask – there were no harsh words or stern looks exchanged during UNICEF’s annual charity match. Nonetheless, there were a few awkward interactions and juicy tidbits worth noting.

Sam had teased the drama ahead of Soccer Aid

sorry but sam thompson and louis tomlinson being on the same team for soccer aid is actually the funniest shit

— Liv 🤍 (@liiivvvx) June 12, 2025

Ahead of the Soccer Aid appearance, where the prying eyes of the world would over-analyse every minor interaction, Sam Thompson addressed the Louis Tomlinson element on his Staying Relevant podcast with bestie Pete Wicks.

“This is sort of the big question really, the elephant in the room, What’s it going to be like with you and Louis? Obviously he’s doing Soccer Aid too,” Pete questioned.

In the most emotionally mature statement from a reality TV star ever, Sam explained: “Mate, you should have seen the room, everybody, it was a silent then everyone goes ‘Woah, Woah Woah, end the call! End the call!’ and I have just gone ‘No, no guys, I’ve got this, I’ve got this.’ I held my hands up to say just relax.

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“I think I did alright and I meant everything I said as well, that it’s not about me or Louis or who anyone is dating, it’s f**king Unicef and charity and everyone is going to be there for the exact same reason.”

Sam Thompson and Louis Tomlinson had a ‘peace dinner’ before Soccer Aid

Credit: James Veysey/Shutterstock

Before the game on Sunday, Louis Tomlinson, Sam Thompson, and the rest of the Soccer Aid lineup sat down for what The Sun dubbed a “peace dinner.” Amidst training for the charity match, the peace talks were held at Champneys spa in Tring, Herts.

“There is no beef between the pair and they’re both going to ensure their love lives don’t distract from such a big charity spectacle. They are fully aware that their every move is being scrutinised and they’ve broken bread with their teammates, so it’ll be smooth sailing on the day,” a source told the publication.

Sam narrowly avoided the match because of an injury

sam quit soccer aid because he was getting too distracted looking at louis

— 𖤓 pigeon 𖤓 (@celestialhrmnyy) June 13, 2025

Everyone was eagerly awaiting the moment when both British lads would take to the pitch to fight it out against the rest of the world, but sadly, it never happened. Sam sustained some pretty nasty injuries during his 260-mile running and cycling trek between London and Manchester, so he was benched.

“I’m now part of the coaching team, so I’m going to be on the sidelines along with Vicky McLure and also Tyson Fury, and I’m going to be putting my two pence in,” Sam said. “But I will still get to be part of it all.”

He was called to play in the final few moments of the game, but by this point, Louis had left the pitch.

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Featured image credit: James Veysey/Shutterstock