We look back at some of the exceptional work that FIFA’s member associations have completed during April in conjunction with the world governing body to help grow and strengthen the game. FIFA’s wide-ranging support for all 211 member associations helps deliver an extensive suite of programmes, including financial and logistical support. Among the highlights over the past month include the opening of some major FIFA Forward-funded facilities in the Americas, Singapore hosting the initial FIFA Integrity Summit, a raft of new nations introduced to Football for Schools, a celebration of International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, and much more.

The month commenced with good news for 89 match officials from all corners of the globe appointed for the upcoming Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024. FIFA has put extensive resources into improving refereeing standards and Paris 2024 represents an important important step on the road to the FIFA World Cup 26™ and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™.

Concacaf and CONMEBOL representatives of the FIFA Forward Programme gathered for first time in FIFA's new Miami office as the region prepares to welcome a host of tournaments headlined by the FIFA World Cup 26™. The workshop for FIFA Forward’s third phase, which started its four-year cycle in 2023, has seen funding raised to unprecedented levels. Up to USD 8 million will be made available to each FIFA Member Association, up to USD 60 million to each confederation, and up to USD 5 million for each zonal/regional association to organise and develop football.

The inaugural FIFA Integrity Summit was held in Singapore bringing together integrity officers from the six confederations to hear from speakers across sporting, integrity, betting and law enforcement backgrounds about updates on global integrity trends, share best practices, and explore examples regarding match manipulation. The summit coincided with the release of the new FIFA Integrity Handbook and Education Roadmap.

Football for Schools continues to be rolled out across the world with developing tomorrow’s footballers in a fun environment at the programme’s heart. Africa took centre stage during the month where FIFA instructors were on hand to aid programmes in Tanzania and Eritrea. There were also events in Nicaragua and Saudi Arabia underlining the global reach of Football for Schools.

Most notably, however, was the Football for Schools roll-out in Vietnam where, for the first time, Safeguarding and Child Protection was added to the programme.

It was a busy and milestone month in Paraguay with several events taking place underscored by the official opening of the federation’s new high-performance centre. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was on hand for the FIFA Forward-funded facility which includes eight brand new artificial grass football pitches, four dressing rooms and gym blocks. Meanwhile, Paraguay representatives also attended a Coach Development Course in the Panama capital.

Football continues to gather momentum in Dominican Republic ahead of hosting their maiden world tournament; the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup™. The Dominican Football Federation took another step in the remodelling of their High Performance Centre it owns in San Cristobal, another development project financed through the FIFA Forward Programme.

The Costa Rica Football Federation took a significant step forward in the development of its sporting infrastructure when it opened two new key facilities at its technical centre funded by the FIFA Forward Programme, with women’s football and beach soccer the main beneficiaries.

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace was celebrated on 6 April with this year’s theme “Sport for the Promotion of Peaceful and Inclusive Societies”. Football’s ability to unite is regularly demonstrated and is a topic close to the heart of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with the development of football and social responsibilities included in his Strategic Objectives for the Global Game: 2023-2027, as well as programmes such as #FootballUnitesTheWorld.

Papua New Guinea hosted a two-day FIFA Infrastructure & Facilities Maintenance Workshop where combating the impact of climate change was a key focus. Ten OFC nations were in attendance with the impact of weather providing an ever greater challenge in the Pacific. The event follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between FIFA and the Pacific Islands Forum in 2022.

Women’s football development activities have continued with regularity in Africa on the back of the continent’s strong showing at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup™. Over the past month FIFA conducted a Women’s Club Licensing workshop and a Capacity Building Workshop for Women’s Football Administrators in Rwanda and Malawi respectively.