FIFA has begun several pilot projects in Africa following the pledge made by President Gianni Infantino at the Sustainable Sports Summit in Paris in 2024 to build 1,000 mini-pitches in schools across the world in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking to the Finance in Common Sport Investment Forum, organised in the sideline of the Finance in Common Summit held from 26 to 28 February 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa, Mr Infantino stated that the projects would play a role far beyond football.

”This initiative is more than just building pitches,” the FIFA President told the event in a pre-recorded address. “It is about creating safe spaces for children to learn, to play and to grow. It is about fostering inclusion, inspiring youths and using football as a powerful tool for social changedress. ”We are confident that this pilot phase will showcase the incredible potential of collaboration between the sports and development sectors. Together, we can accelerate access to education and empower both girls and boys through football – helping them develop not just football players but (also) future citizens.” The mini-pitches are aimed at providing sustainable football infrastructure, particularly to children living in disadvantaged inner-city or rural areas, giving them more opportunities to play the sport. The Sustainable Sports Summit, organised by AFD and the International Olympic Committee, took place in the French capital on 25 July 2024, on the eve of the opening of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

The fifth Finance in Common Summit, co-hosted by the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank with support from the AFD, brought together global leaders, public development banks, the private sector and philanthropies to reimagine and reshape sustainable finance. The theme of the 2025 edition was “Fostering Infrastructure and Finance for Just and Sustainable Growth” and, for the first time, the event included a dedicated programme on Sports, Art and Culture for sustainable development. “We were delighted to attend the first Finance in Common Sport Investment Forum, reaffirming that sport, and particularly football, is a powerful socio-economic driving force,” said Gelson Fernandes, FIFA Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer. “The commitment made in Paris during the Sustainable Development Summit by the FIFA President to install 1,000 football pitches in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has been reinforced, and we are pleased with the progress made alongside our partner, the AFD.”

Rémy Rioux, the AFD Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Finance in Common, said: “Following the Sport for Sustainable Development Summit, we – public development banks, governments, and the sports movement – are seizing the opportunity of the Finance in Common Summit in Cape Town to strengthen the commitments to sport as a powerful driver of sustainable development. “With our partners, we have renewed our call to accelerate investment and collective action to fully harness sport’s transformative power and integrate it at the core of national public policies and development finance strategies. ”I would like to thank FIFA representatives and its President, Gianni Infantino, for their strong engagement. In the coming months, we remain committed to ensuring the success of the pilot phase of the mini-pitches in schools programme in Benin, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire and Rwanda. This initiative is a concrete demonstration of how collaboration between the worlds of sport and development finance can deliver tangible benefits for youth worldwide.”