FIFA are working hard around the world to help achieve a goal of 60 million female players by 2027. The ambitious target is underpinned by 13 development programmes with all 211 FIFA Member Associations (MAs) eligible to apply for support from world football's governing body. Earlier this year, FIFA renewed and expanded its Women’s Development Programmes in a further boost to women’s football. Additional information can be found here. Inside FIFA looks at just some of the significant recent activity which continues to build the footprint of women’s football globally.

December witnessed a significant landmark for women’s football with the inaugural edition of the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup™ in the Philippines successfully completed. Brazil finished champions with a perfect record of six straight wins which culminated in an impressive 3-0 win over Portugal in the final. It was also a history making achievement for the Philippines, who joyously hosted their first FIFA tournament – just the second FIFA women's showpiece in the Southeast Asia region, and the first for 21 years. There were milestones too, for Tanzania, who qualified for their first senior FIFA tournament, while this was also IR Iran's inaugural FIFA women's competition. Away from the court, numerous legacy projects delivered tangible benefits for the local football community, notably an expansive League Development activities focussed on women’s futsal.

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) are also now closer to announcing their first Women’s Football Strategy following online sessions and an in-person workshop with FIFA representatives held in Manila during the tournament. Camille Rodriguez, PFF Women’s Football Development Lead said: “For us at PFF, collaboration and knowledge exchange were the guiding principles behind this workshop series. We wanted to co-create a strategy that reflected the challenges, opportunities, and lived experiences of the individuals working on the ground. It left me inspired and even more committed to working together as one community to grow and elevate women’s football in the Philippines.”

It has been a busy and productive year for football, and in particular women’s football, in Liberia. The Liberia Football Association (LFA) have hosted a series of Women’s Football Campaigns, notably the development programme in the city of Gbarnga, Bong County following the official 2025 launch in Montserrado County. Bong County remains without a women's football league, making this grassroots effort particularly significant. The campaign will also be rolled out across Margibi, Rivercess, and Sinoe counties.

The event was complemented by a Coach Education Scholarship workshop and follows their Capacity Building for Administrators workshops recently hosted in the capital, Monrovia, which featured 60 participants over six days. Earlier this year, Liberia opened two mini pitches as part of the FIFA Arena initiative and opened the FIFA Forward-renovated Gompa Stadium.

Mali are one of a host of African nations to benefit from FIFA’s various women’s football campaigns over recent weeks. Bamako, the capital, was the location as over 300 young players aged 6-12 engaged with a festival as part of the Women’s Football Campaign. It was the second stage of the ‘Educate and Empower’ campaign delivered by the Malian Football Federation (FEMAFOOT).

The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has unveiled what ZIFA President Nqobile Magwizi described as “the beginning of a new era for the women’s game.” The ZIFA Women’s Football Strategy is built on five pillars: Player Pathway; Talent and Performance; Image, Identity and Commercialisation; Professionalisation and Governance; and Female Empowerment. FIFA Women’s Football Technical Expert Thubelihle Sibanda, who played a key advisory role during the formulation of the strategy, said: “Zimbabwe has shown great intention and discipline in building a structured future for women’s football. This strategy is a strong step forward.”

The Guinean Football Federation (FGF) launched their Women’s Football Strategy 2026-2028 in front of a large gathering of stakeholders in the capitol Conakry. The strategy is focussed on the structure of women's football in Guinea, with the aim of modernising its organisation, strengthening its capacities, and opening up new opportunities for young players.

The Rwandan Football Federation (FERWAFA) continued their concerted focus on building women’s football with a Women’s Football Campaign, building on other development activities over the past year. Nyagatare in North East Rwanda was the setting for the second women's football campaign festival for the year, with around 100 girls in the U-13 and U-15 categories participating.

The Comoran Football Federation (FFC) organised a Women's Football Campaign for girls between 6-12 years. Around 200 girls took part across the Indian Ocean nation’s three major islands – Anjouan, Moeli and Ngazidja – with the local community fully engaged at all three locations.

The Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) ‘Catch Them Young’ refereeing initiative forms part of an ongoing Capacity Building course jointly organised by FIFA and the GFA through the FIFA League Development programme.

The aim is to equip young female referees with both theoretical and practical skills essential to strengthening their knowledge and building confidence with the aim of creating competent female referees who can potentially elevate Ghana’s presence on the global stage. The programme saw these groups of match officials participate at the U-15 and U-17 Elite Girls Championships.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) are seeking to build momentum from their national team’s recent maiden AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualification with the launch of their Women’s Football Strategy 2025–2028. Around 100 stakeholders were on hand for the launch in the capital, Dhaka, which reinforced the BFF’s commitment to empowerment, inclusivity and strengthening Bangladesh’s international presence. Simon Toselli, FIFA Women's Football Regional Lead (Asia) said: “We have witnessed tremendous growth and potential to develop women’s football in Bangladesh. (The) BFF has a real motivation and interest to grow women's football.”

The Tajikistan Football Federation (FFT) have followed up their recent wide-ranging Women’s Football Campaign with a Capacity-Building for Administrators seminar in Dushanbe – an initiative considered vital for the sustainable development of women’s football in the Central Asian nation. The extensive three-day programme brought together female football administrators, managers, players and coordinators from across the country to enhance their skills in key areas of football administration, including strategic planning, management, marketing, communications, safeguarding, and leadership.

Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) conducted a strongly attended Women’s Football Campaign in Ambon, Maluku – a province long celebrated as the birthplace of numerous Indonesian national team players. The event gathered 100 girls who learned basic football skills through fun, engaging sessions that featured local football legend Simon Tahamata. The programme was supported by 12 female coaches – awardees of the FIFA Coach Education Programme – along with two female national team players and a certified female safeguarding officer who ensured the programme was delivered safely and professionally.

The roll-out of FIFA’s Elite Performance: Coach Mentorship Programme has continued around the world with mentees visiting their respective internationally based mentor. The third edition of the programme, which commenced in July this year in Zurich, Switzerland, recently saw Mexico U-23 coach Vanessa Martínez hosted by Brazil national team coach and mentor Arthur Elias as the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ hosts visited Europe for international matches against Norway and Portugal.

FIFA’s groundbreaking Player Impact Programme has already had a tangible impact following the completion in November of three months of training and support. Created to provide a springboard for well-known players to design and lead their own social impact initiatives, 14 international stars from all over the world are taking part. Japan FIFA Women’s World Cup™-winner Saki Kumagai’s vision is to use tournaments and travel to promote growth, teamwork, and cultural exchange. Earlier in December, 65 girls played in the Saki Kumagai World Challenge in Tokyo, an event that will conclude with a select group competing in a London, England event next March. “In my experiences playing overseas, I’ve learned first-hand how important being in the right environment is for a player’s development, both in football and as a person,” said the London City Lionesses defender. “We want our alumni to gain self-confidence in order to pursue their future goals and for them to experience the world outside of Japan.”

The historic FIFA Unites: Women’s Series™ continues to show dividends with Chad and Libya featuring in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking for the first time after their participation in the competition. They played alongside Tunisia and Afghanistan, the latter of which was represented on the international stage for the first time in nearly four years by Afghan Women United, a squad established as part of the multi-pillar FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football. The addition of Chad and Libya brought the number of MAs in the women’s standings up to a record 198.

Inclusion, development and shared experiences were at the heart of recent FIFA Female Coach Educators' Development Pathway workshops conducted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AFC) and Bogotá, Colombia (CONMEBOL & Concacaf). The workshops saw participants from the respective regions gather for a broad-ranging programme delivered by FIFA Coaching Development and Women’s Football Development departments. The pathway commenced in mid-2025 and is one of the newest of FIFA initiatives designed to help grow the numbers of female coach educators, as well as female coaching licence holders globally.