FIFA President Gianni Infantino has thanked President Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic for his support in developing football after welcoming him to the FIFA office in Paris. During the meeting, they talked about the projects which are underway in the country to develop young, talented players. Mr. Infantino also recalled the Central African Republic's passion for football which he experienced first-hand during a visit in 2021.

“It was a great honour to meet His Excellency President Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic in Paris,” said the FIFA President. “I have been to President Touadéra's beautiful country and was able to see for myself the immense passion the people there have for football. It’s very much a football-loving nation, which comes to a standstill when the national team is playing. “The Central African Republic is working hard to develop football and make it more accessible. I saw this for myself when I visited a project that is supported by FIFA Forward funding, and President Touadéra gave me an update on the progress that is being made. “I thanked President Touadéra for his government's support and am sure we will be seeing more talented players - women and men - emerge as a result of our joint initiatives to promote football.”

In January, President Touadéra opened the Central African Republic Football Association's renovated national technical centre and also laid the foundation stone for a women’s national technical centre in Liton on the outskirts of the capital Bangui. The two centres, both supported by FIFA Forward, are part of the country’s efforts to boost the development of young players - with the ultimate aim of strengthening national teams in the future - and to create an environment conducive to the players’ social and professional development.

Although the men’s national team, known as Les Fauves (the Wild Beasts), have yet to participate in the FIFA World Cup™ or the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, they came close to qualifying for this year’s tournament in Côte d´Ivoire and the previous edition in Cameroon. In March, the Central African Republic took part in the FIFA Series where they played Bhutan and Papua New Guinea in Sri Lanka.