FIFA President Gianni Infantino today welcomed the launch of the new OFC Women’s Football Strategy, highlighting the important role it will play in accelerating the growth and development of the women’s game across Oceania and the Pacific region. Following the announcement by the OFC of its first-ever women’s football strategy, President Infantino followed up on his recent address at the 27th OFC Ordinary Congress by speaking virtually with OFC members and representatives from the region during a special event that took place in Auckland to mark the launch. “In the build-up to the next FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, the launch of the OFC Women’s Football Strategy 2027 represents a historic and hugely significant moment for women’s football in Oceania and the Pacific region,” said Infantino during the video message. “FIFA has recognised the women’s game as the biggest growth opportunity for our sport today and one of the first things we have done in order to guide our work is to create a dedicated global strategy for women’s football. “By providing member associations with a clear purpose and direction, this new [OFC] strategy will lay the foundations to kick off an exciting new era where women’s football can thrive across the [Oceanic and Pacific] region," he added.

ALL IN: OFC Women’s Football Strategy 2027 aims to enhance the development, growth, sustainability and professionalisation of women’s football in Oceania, which will ultimately lead to improved performances on the global stage. The OFC has identified five priority areas in the women’s game to be developed by 2027, including participation, visibility, education, performance and culture. During his address, the FIFA President also highlighted the vital role played by the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in accelerating the development of women’s football both on and off the pitch in Oceania and around the world, while underlining how FIFA is continuing to invest and support the growth of the women’s game globally. Since 2019, FIFA has doubled its investment in women’s football to USD 1 billion over the current cycle, expanded the next FIFA Women’s World Cup to 32 teams and provided dedicated support for women’s football during the pandemic through the COVID-19 Relief Plan. “In 2023, the world will once again witness the power of women’s football with New Zealand and Australia hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the very first time. “As we saw in 2019, the FIFA Women’s World Cup is a clear catalyst to accelerate our efforts in developing the women’s game. Since then, FIFA has continued to show leadership and commitment to women’s football by creating more opportunities for all member associations to drive forward their efforts, despite the global pandemic. “By 2026, we want to see 60 million women and girls across the world playing our game. In order to realise this objective, we need the support of the confederations and member associations to provide the pathways and the framework for these players, both on and off the pitch,” concluded the FIFA President.

Goal 8 of the FIFA Vision 2020-2023: Making Football Truly Global is “Accelerate the growth of women’s football”. To this end, FIFA has identified four priority areas: reforming competitions, enhancing the game’s commercial value, enhancing professionalisation and modernising development programmes. To learn more about women’s football at FIFA, click here.