FIFA President Gianni Infantino has participated in a football festival in Rwanda at the invitation of President Paul Kagame, where they gifted footballs to each of the 220 participating children. Later, Mr Infantino attended a Rwanda Premier League match, saying that domestic football is the “foundation” of the sport.

The festival was held at the Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali – amahoro meaning “peace” in the country’s national language, Kinyarwanda – and involved football academies from across the country. Six boys’ academies, representing the Under-11, Under-13 and Under-15 age groups, took part along with five girls’ academies, representing the Under-13 and Under-15 categories.

“I joined Rwandan President Paul Kagame for a football festival at Amahoro National Stadium, where we shared a special moment with 220 girls and boys, gifting footballs and celebrating the joy of the festive season together,” Mr Infantino said.

“Spending time with young players from academies across Rwanda – PSG Rwanda, Center for Champions, Police WFC, New Harvest Football Center, Runner Up Sports Academy, Umuri Foundation, Rafiki Talent Football Center, APR Academy, FTPR Lions' Academy and Nirisarike Football Center – was a powerful reminder of how football can inspire, bring smiles and support the development of youth talent everywhere,” he added. “Moments like these show the true strength of our game in giving hope and creating opportunities for the next generation.”

The FIFA President also thanked President Kagame and the Rwandan Football Association (Ferwafa) for their commitment to “using football as a force for good”.

President Kagame, his government and Ferwafa have been invaluable partners for FIFA in its mission to develop football, and the country is set to play a key role once again when it will be one of the hosts for the second edition of the FIFA Series in 2026.

“(The) President of FIFA has explained well the good things football delivers to people, especially young people, of all backgrounds. There is something else he didn’t mention: he uses football to bring people together for peace - amahoro,” President Kagame said. “This stadium is called Amahoro Stadium, so this is the right place to use football to actually deliver peace. You know, we don’t have enough peace in our region, but he has been using football to contribute to bringing peace in our region and beyond.”

The FIFA Congress was held in Central Africa for the first time when the 73rd edition – during which Mr Infantino was re-elected unopposed for his current mandate – was hosted by Rwanda in 2023. Kigali also hosts a FIFA Regional Development Office, opened in 2021, while the FIFA Football for Schools (F4S) programme was conceived during a FIFA Council meeting in Rwanda in 2018. After successful implementation in many countries across the world, F4S was launched in the country itself in 2023.

Accompanied by the Ferwafa President Fabrice Shema and the Honourable Minister of Sports, Nelly Mukazayire, the FIFA President later watched the Rwanda Premier League match between Gasogi United and AS Kigali at the Kigali Pelé Stadium – inaugurated in March 2023 following Mr Infantino’s call for every FIFA Member Association to name a venue after the late Brazilian legend who passed away in December 2022. “Domestic football is the foundation of our global game, and moments like these highlight the passion, pride and progress of football in Rwanda as we continue working together to grow the sport at every level,” the FIFA President said.