FIFA President Gianni Infantino opened the post-FIFA World Cup 2022™ Coaches Forum by addressing the coaches who participated at the finals in Qatar last year and thanked them for making it the best tournament in the competition's history, while also expressing his admiration for their work. The two-day event, held in Doha, Qatar, was organised so that the head coaches from the member associations who participated in last year's tournament could exchange views on competition and refereeing matters. Their feedback will also be used by FIFA make further improvements to the tournament in the future. The FIFA President, expressing his honour at having so many national team coaches and technical directors together in the same room, said he recognised the role that coaches play, as well as the pressure and hopes they carry on their shoulders.

"From everyone in football, those who I definitely have a very, very high admiration for are yourselves because if there is anyone who understands pressure, who understands emotions, who understands the feelings that football generates, it is definitely all of you," Mr Infantino said. "You represent countries, you represent populations, you represent all these emotions. We have seen the hopes, the joy, the tears. At the end of the World Cup, at the end of four years leading to a World Cup, there is one world champion out of FIFA's 211 countries." The FIFA President congratulated the coaches for a unique World Cup. "In addition to my admiration, you have my gratitude on behalf of the entire FIFA team, all football fans in the world and all those who love the game," he said, remembering that before the FIFA World Cup, FIFA had asked the teams to make people feel special.

He said the forum was also a chance for the coaches to talk about the next FIFA World Cup in 2026, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. "We had the best FIFA World Cup ever in Qatar, but we always want to do better.... We are already organising the next World Cup which will be played in completely different conditions, (with) distances and travel." During the forum, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger presented the analysis of the tournament prepared by the FIFA Technical Study Group and FIFA Performance Analysis Team, providing many talking points for the assembled audience.