Women's football in South America has enjoyed incredible growth in the last few years although more playing opportunities are still needed for women and girls to play the game on the continent, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said during an event in Bogotá, Colombia. Mr Infantino was speaking at the FIFA Women’s Football Regional Workshop for the ten South American FIFA Member Associations which was timed to coincide with the final stages of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup™ taking place in the country. The FIFA President later attended the final at the Nemesio Camacho El Campín stadium where he watched Korea DPR beat Japan 1-0 to win the trophy for the third time and also participated in the medal ceremony.

The workshop, similar to one held in Jakarta, Indonesia, for Asian FIFA Member Associations in November 2023, brought together women's football representatives from across the region. "Women’s football as a whole is growing incredibly in South America. We all know the passion on the continent for football, the heart of that continent, their love of football,” said Mr Infantino. "And we have to transform this passion, this love, into success and into events to give more opportunities to girls everywhere in South America (so that) everywhere in South America has the opportunity to play football at local level, at continental level and, of course, at world level. For us, this is a priority."

Football in South America has entered an exciting period with the FIFA Women's World Cup™ to be held on the continent for the first time when Brazil stages the 32-team final tournament in 2027. "We’re going to get ready from now, not only to make Brazil shine, but the whole of South America in 2027 and, of course, in the future," said Mr Infantino, who handed diplomas to all participants at the end of the event. "When you go back to your country, don’t be afraid to drive change and fulfil the ideas you have discussed here – because you know you are not alone. You know you have (the backing of) FIFA for you all." The FIFA President had attended the match between Colombia and Australia on the opening day of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and said it had provided an extraordinary opportunity for the players involved. “We don’t know if some of these players will keep playing….not all of them will do so – but all of these players will carry this emotion and experience that they will tell their children and their grandchildren, that they played the opening game of a (FIFA U-20 Women’s) World Cup with 35,000 passionate Colombians who were cheering for them," he said.

The tournament in Colombia was the first to feature 24 teams, as part of FIFA's effort to provide more playing alternatives, and also saw a trial of the football video support (VS), a simplified and more affordable version of the video assistant referee (VAR) system. Following the medal ceremony which was held immediately after the final, the FIFA President thanked the organisers and the 24 participating teams for staging such a memorable event. “Congratulations to Korea DPR on winning the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup for the third time and to Japan for a fourth successive podium finish,” Mr Infantino said. “A big thank you to everyone at the Colombian Football Association for organising this special celebration of football and to all Colombians for showering us with your passionate support. Well done to all the teams for playing your part in the continuous growth of women's football - Colombia 2024 has shown once again that Football Unites The World.”