FIFA provides financial and logistical support to its 211 Member Associations (MAs) through various programmes. Inside FIFA takes a look at the extraordinary work that has been done in recent weeks to promote, strengthen, and make football truly global. 

FIFA Congress met in Vancouver on 30 April 2026 with an emphasis on the fact that the FIFA World Cup 2026™ has the potential to bring people from all over the world together in an atmosphere of harmony and respect.

The majority of member associations were represented in the Canadian city at a Congress that acknowledged the progress that has been made in the fight against racism - and the work that has still to be done.

A FIFA delegation led by Bulgarian legend Hristo Stoichkov officially launched the Football for Schools (F4S) programme in Curaçao and Turkmenistan.

Local coaches and teachers will undergo training to integrate the programme into the education system on a long-term basis. The goal is to embed the initiative structurally within schools across Curaçao.The visit to Curaçao concluded with a large-scale festival at the Ergilio Hato Stadium, where around 100 children participated.

In Turkmenistan a training session was held on the central pitch of the Ashgabat multifunctional stadium.  The highlight was a master class with renowned footballer Hristo Stoichkov, who arrived in Ashgabat as part of a FIFA expert delegation. Stoichkov presented practical and theoretical recommendations, demonstrated tactical schemes, and elements of preparation for professional matches for the children in attendance. A separate section was dedicated to teacher training. The teachers were introduced to modern FIFA methods aimed at developing playing skills and leadership qualities in schoolchildren.

A three-day FIFA Talent Identification Education Workshop was held in Rabat, Morocco from 3rd to 5th April 2026. It brought together Talent Identification leads from selected Member Associations across Africa and Asia, with a focus on strengthening national Talent ID systems and aligning approaches within the FIFA Talent Development Scheme. (TDS)

The programme was structured around the FIFA Talent Development framework, which focuses on finding, training, and providing opportunities for players to play. Participants progressed through three key stages that included strategic foundations, practical delivery, and organisation and sustainability.

Prior to the workshop, participants took part in a pre-workshop webinar held on 26th March 2026, which aligned expectations and required each Member Association to present their current Talent Identification structures, strengths, and key challenges.

Participants at the workshop were drawn from Bahrain, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, India, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Tanzania, UAE, and Uganda.

A total of 80 players attended The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) National Trials, marking another important step in the federation’s commitment to structured player development across the country.

The initiative is anchored within the FUFA Elite Player Development Pathway, which is guided by the FUFA Player Development Curriculum. This framework ensures that identified players receive consistent, high-quality training and holistic development in line with modern football standards.

FUFA continues to implement this vision with support from the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS), which provides technical and structural backing to enhance grassroots and elite player development systems.

African football leaders convened in Nairobi to discuss the FIFA Forward Programme 4.0. The meeting brought together Presidents of COSAFA member associations, alongside counterparts from the CECAFA region, in a strategic engagement with FIFA representatives led by Gelson Fernández.

FIFA Forward Programme 4.0 represents the next phase of FIFA’s commitment to strengthening member associations through increased and more structured investment. The programme is anchored on key pillars including infrastructure development, capacity building, national team support and enhanced competition structures. It aims to deliver consistent, scaled-up financial backing while ensuring accountability and long-term sustainability across all member associations.

Canada is the latest country to benefit from the FIFA Arena project. The first FIFA Arena facility was opened in the township of Langley, British Columbia ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026™.

Through the FIFA Arena programme and in partnership with the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and BC Soccer Association, the mini-pitch was opened at Langley Events Centre near Vancouver, which will host seven matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026™. The 48-tournament will be played at 16 Host Cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States from 11 June to 19 July 2026.

The FIFA Arena project aims to build at least 1,000 mini-pitches across the globe by 2031. They are designed to create accessible, safe and sustainable football infrastructure, particularly in areas where children and communities have limited access to quality sports facilities.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has launching a number of initiatives to revitalise football in the country, with a focus on organising and raising the profile of local and international competitions. In particular, the association has promoted several top-flight matches and events at the Nyayo National Stadium, thereby underlining its commitment to attracting spectators and enhancing the profile of international fixtures, whilst simultaneously strengthening the presence of the national teams against the backdrop of the growing development of Kenyan football.

The FKF is part of a broader growth strategy that encompasses both participation in international competitions such as the FIFA Series and the hosting of major events, particularly in women’s football. These measures reflect a clear objective: to improve the competitiveness of the national teams, broaden the players’ international experience and position Kenya as an emerging hub for African football.

FIFA has also launched the "Boots for All" initiative in Kenya, a programme aimed at expanding access to football by providing free boots to disadvantaged children and supporting grassroots football development.

The Rwandan Football Association (FERWAFA), in collaboration with FIFA, officially launched the FIFA Talent Development Programme competition at the Kamena Stadium in Huye, marking a new milestone in the implementation of this initiative, which is dedicated to identifying and nurturing young talent in Rwandan football.

Also as part of the FIFA Talent Development Programme, FERWAFA organised a one-day training session to strengthen the skills of those involved in competition management. This training provided an opportunity to explore key topics in greater depth, such as the laws of the game, competition regulations, match reporting procedures, and evaluation and monitoring methods.

The training, attended by regional officials, representatives from school sport and the programme management team, promoted a collaborative and practical approach to improving referee coordination and standardising processes. Led by referee instructors and FERWAFA officials, this initiative represents an important step towards strengthening the technical and administrative standards that serve to promote young talent in Rwanda.

For the first time since such statistics have been collated, football is the number one participation sport for girls and women in Scotland, overtaking tennis which was previously ranked as the most popular.

New research has confirmed a sustained surge in both interest and participation in football. The latest figures show that 28,273 girls and women are now registered as players in Scotland, up from 22,977 in 2023 - a 23% increase in just two years.

At the elite end, 160 professional players are now registered across the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL). Meanwhile, the grassroots game continues to flourish with Scottish Women’s Football (SWF) reporting record club registrations - over 1,000 teams at 235 clubs nationwide.

Football Australia has welcomed call-ups to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ for four of its officials. Alireza Faghani, George Lakrindis, Andrew Lindsay and Shaun Evans will be part of the officiating team at the tournament.

“The appointments mark another significant milestone for Australian refereeing and reflect the success of Football Australia’s high‑performance officiating pathways, which continue to develop match officials capable of performing on football’s biggest stage," said Jon Moss, Football Australia's Head of Refereeing.

“Football Australia congratulates Alireza, George, Andrew and Shaun on this outstanding achievement. Their selection to officiate at the world’s premier football tournament is a testament to their commitment, resilience and sustained elite performance."

Comoros has become the latest African beneficiary of the FIFA Arena project with the inauguration of two mini-pitches this month. The milestone event, a collaborative effort between FIFA, Government of Comoros and the French Development Agency (AFD), saw the two pitches in Anjouan and Ngazidja respectively opened to the public.

The historic inauguration ensures Comoros becomes the seventh African Member Association (MA) to benefit from the global project targeted at enhancing football infrastructure and social impact initiatives.

Established following a pledge FIFA President Gianni Infantino made at the International Summit on Sports for Sustainable Development in Paris in July 2024, FIFA Arena helps address that need as it aims to establish 1,000 new permanent mini-pitches globally by 2031.