FIFA President Gianni Infantino met with the heads of member associations Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros and Madagascar in Paris, France on Monday, where they discussed footballing progress being made through the FIFA Forward programme.

"I was delighted to meet the presidents of the Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros, and Madagascar FAs, and we spoke about football development at the FIFA office in Paris," said Mr Infantino.

"Elvis Chetty, Samir Sobha, Said Athouman, Alfred Randriamanampisoa and I had very open and constructive conversations about how FIFA can help develop football in Africa's island nations, especially through the FIFA Forward programme."

Seychelles won the right to host the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2025™ in 2022, ahead of which they have begun renovating critical beach soccer facilities in the country, and Mauritius previously hosted the inaugural COSAFA U-17 Women’s Championship in 2019.

FIFA Forward has helped develop the infrastructure for both, and in total Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros and Madagascar have received USD 35.6 million between them in FIFA Forward funding.

"I wished everyone at the Seychelles Football Federation the very best for hosting their first FIFA tournament, which will also be the first ever FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup to be held in Africa," said Mr Infantino.

"I also thanked everyone for their commitment to our beautiful game and assured them of FIFA's support in their continued efforts to make football available to more people."

The COSAFA U 17 Women’s Championship in Mauritius was a resounding success, while Comoros and Madagascar have focussed on youth development across the board in recent years, but all eyes in the region will be on Seychelles in 2025.

"We're looking forward to a great competition and it’s going to be, basically, a 'football fiesta' with a lot of music, a lot of partying, and we are going to welcome the world with open arms," said Mr Chetty.

"Now, this [FIFA Beach Soccer] World Cup is definitely already opening a lot of doors for us in terms of sponsorships -- locally speaking -- to both beach soccer and to normal 11-a-side football.

"Furthermore, it’s showcasing Seychelles. There is a lot of interest from the government, a lot of interest from the private sector. And, everyone is excited and we are looking forward to sun, sand, sea, soccer."