FIFA are working hard around the world to help achieve the 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. FIFA recently renewed and expanded its FIFA Women’s Development Programme in a further boost to women’s football. Additional information for MAs can be found here. Inside FIFA looks at just some of the significant recent activity which has helped build the footprint of women’s football globally.

Women’s football is set for a new era on the global stage after the FIFA Council approved the establishment of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™ as well as world football's governing body’s new flagship tournament: the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup™.

The inaugural edition of the quadrennial FIFA Women’s Club World Cup™ will take place in January-February 2028. The finale of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™, which will bring together the six continental club champions, is set to take place in January/February 2026.

Meanwhile, FIFA this week published the fourth edition of Setting the Pace – its informative Women’s Football Benchmarking Report that provides insights into the factors that drive success in women’s football clubs and leagues. The latest edition, which has been greatly enhanced to include information from 86 leagues and totalling 669 clubs, collates data across six key areas: sporting, governance, financial landscape, fan engagement, data and digital, and player-related matters. The data is intended to help clubs, leagues and stakeholders worldwide gain a better understanding of the best-practices and prevalent trends.

The echoes of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ continue to resonate across the Pacific with Cook Islands the latest nation to deliver a long-term plan focussed on sustainably growing women’s football. The recently launched Cook Islands ‘Vaine Toa In Football – Women’s Football Strategic Plan 2025/2026’, is a historic and transformative initiative designed to inspire and empower women in the sport across the Cook Islands.

The programme for the Polynesian nation, which focuses on key areas including grassroots football, youth development, and creating pathways for women at senior levels, was launched on the main island of Rarotonga and tourist hotspot Aitutaki. “This plan is all about empowering players, building leaders, and creating growth opportunities, both on and off the field,” said Tupou Brogan, Cook Islands Football Association (CIFA) Women’s Football Development Officer. FIFA Women’s Football expert Simon Toselli added: “CIFA shows a high interest and motivation to develop women’s football in the Cook Islands.”

Women’s football is steadily building towards professionalism in Guatemala thanks to the vision of the Guatemalan Football Association (FENAFUTG) and the support of the FIFA's Women's Football League Development Programme. In 2024, the U-17 Women´s Development League enjoyed a 27% increase in participation. A significant number of players from the competition were subsequently selected to the provisional squad list for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ qualifiers. "The U-17 Women's Youth Tournament is a competition platform that has provided young players with valuable on-field experience,” said FENAFUTG Women's Football Manager Debora Millan. “Additionally, it has been a tool for growth in the women's sector, opening doors of opportunity and providing a space for their development.”

The Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF) is in the process of developing a Women's Football Strategy with the mission of ensuring that football is widely accessible, equitable, competitive, sustainable, and provides opportunities for young girls and women to both play and potentially build livelihoods through the sport. It builds further upon a FIFA Football for Schools programme being rolled out in the East African country.

As part of the strategic plan’s development, ENFF organised a Capacity Building Workshop, engaging various stakeholders to collaborate on the future of women’s football in Eritrea. The plan has already begun to take shape with the implementation of a successful Women's Football Championship, where 12 teams from the capital Asmara and other regions participated.

“To ensure the widespread participation of girls in football and the sustainable growth of women’s football in Eritrea, it is crucial to provide regular playing opportunities across multiple age groups,” said ENFF President Paulos Weldehaimanot Andemariam. “This strategic plan serves as the roadmap to achieve this goal.”

Backed by the tagline ‘Let Them Play’, the Saint Lucia Football Association (SLFA) has launched an array of programmes and competitions to engage more young girls, garner community support, and secure corporate sponsorship. The Caribbean nation recently kicked off the U-14 girls championship at La Fargue, Choiseul and, with FIFA support, is planning a U-10 girls challenge and a U-16 girls championship. “The project is designed to engage girls from diverse districts, schools, and communities, presenting football as a fun and enjoyable sport for them,” said SLFA General Secretary Victor Reid. It has been a busy period for the SLFA who last weekend hosted the Concacaf Congress, which was attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis, in addition to delegates from all 41 MAs.

A FIFA Women's Football Campaign in Uganda was impressively supported and underlined the strong grassroots passion among young female players in the East African nation.

Around 240 U-13 players from 20 primary schools in Bukedea District participated in the two-day event. In addition, a grassroots coaching course was conducted with 50 teachers from the selected schools in order to equip them with the tools they need to introduce football in schools for the girls. The youngsters were undoubtedly inspired by the presence of Uganda national team star and Washington Spirit defender Shadia Nankya who was on hand as festival ambassador.

Seychelles are preparing to welcome the world for the fast-looming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™, but the national federation also remain focussed on building women’s football. The Seychelles Football Federation (SFF) hosted a two-day Women's Football Strategy workshop in Mahé to begin the process of developing a three-year plan. The workshop led by FIFA women's football technical expert, Thuba Sibanda, was attended by 18 key stakeholders involved in the women's game in Seychelles, and included the women's football committee, coaches active in different levels of the women's football pathway, former and current national team players, representatives from the National Sport Council and more.

“Women’s football in Seychelles has incredible potential, but without a structured plan, progress will remain inconsistent. This strategy will ensure that we provide a clear pathway for young girls to develop, compete, and dream bigger,” stated Chris Yip-Au, SFF Head of Women’s Football.

The Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) celebrated International Women’s Day on 8 March in style with a massive turnout for a festival as part of their FIFA Women’s Football Campaign. Over 600 girls were in attendance at Glyfada Municipal Stadium to enjoy the beautiful game along with a host of dignitaries and national team players. "Today we saw the future," said Greece striker Anastasia Spyridonidou. “It is obvious that there is development, significant steps forward have been made - and this was evident at today's event, both from the large participation of girls from schools and academies, and from the enthusiasm that was there."

St. John’s, Antigua was the location as 26 Caribbean female match officials completed a groundbreaking three-day course. Aimed at capacity-building and intended to primarily provide high-level training for match officials on the FIFA list, the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) hosted event was supported by FIFA, Concacaf and UN Women. World football's governing body was represented by a referee fitness instructor and technical instructor among numerous course instructors.