More than USD 4 million in funding from the FIFA Forward Programme has helped revamp infrastructure and improve national team performance
“We are more than happy to engage people who are ready to assist the nation and the Member Associations,” said Namibia Football Association (NFA) President Robert Shimooshili of FIFA President Gianni Infantino
FIFA Football for Schools, FIFA’s array of courses on best practice in club administration and capacity-building workshops have all been staged in the Southern African country in recent months
Namibia Football Association (NFA) President Robert Shimooshili has underscored his support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his thanks for FIFA’s efforts in developing the game in his country. The NFA has benefitted from more than USD 4 million in funding committed to it by the FIFA Forward Programme, FIFA’s flagship development initiative introduced at the start of President Infantino’s tenure in 2016.
More than USD 250,000 in FIFA Forward funding was invested in installing floodlights and solar panels at the NFA’s Technical Centre at the Katutura Stadium, while further support facilitated the installation of an artificial pitch in Omuthiya in the north of Namibia. NFA President Shimooshili thanked Mr Infantino for his support and praised his work in helping draw up the Memorandum of Understanding signed in November last year between FIFA and the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD). The agreement will provide up to USD 1 billion in concessional loans for stadium infrastructure in developing countries, such as Namibia.
“In Namibia we need a lot of resources because there are a lot of projects we plan to do. For example, we want to ensure we have regional offices, while we even struggle to meet our basic needs to run domestic leagues,” said Shimooshili. “We are more than happy to engage people who are ready to assist the nation and the Member Associations.” A large portion of funding has provided support to Namibia’s national teams and the results have been seen on the pitch.
The senior men’s national team reached the knockout stage of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations for the very first time at the 2023 edition. They narrowly failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, which would have been their global debut, and have finished runners-up in 2022 and 2024 editions of the COSAFA Cup. Namibia also enjoyed their first participation in the FIFA Series in 2026, registering a win against Comoros. The senior women’s national team reached the second round of qualifying for the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 and were crowned COSAFA champions last year, while the men’s U-20 squad reached a maiden continental tournament in 2021.
Other FIFA initiatives are also having a significant impact on Nambian football. A far-reaching 2017 FIFA project undertaken in collaboration with the German Football Association (DFB), the NFA and other partners benefitted 24 educational establishments as it renovated existing pitches and helped provide football equipment and educate instructors for coaching, refereeing and league management. The FIFA Football for Schools programme – officially launched in Namibia in April 2023 – is destined to affect the lives of thousands of children across the country’s 14 regions, teaching them life skills as well as football skills.
FIFA has also delivered a number of workshops with the aim of raising standards. Senior club executives from the men’s and women’s top-tier competitions in Namibia and NFA representatives attended the FIFA Campus – Essential Courses in Club Management and the FIFA Leagues and Clubs Professionalisation Programme workshop in February 2026 as part of FIFA’s drive to strengthen professional management structures and enhance the long-term sustainability of clubs. Capacity-building courses for elite level referees, referee instructors, goalkeepers and futsal coaches have all taken place in recent months.
Women’s football and futsal is also progressing thanks to FIFA support. The senior women’s national futsal team entered the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Ranking in August 2025, while a women's football coaching course took place in the capital, Windhoek. The NFA’s development strategy for the 2024-2027 cycle includes a bespoke women’s football development project, and was drawn up with support from FIFA experts. Shimooshili noted, however, that FIFA support goes even further. “I can give you one example: When our late secretary general, Charles Siyauya, died last year, we received funeral assistance from FIFA and CAF, so that was a very strong show of solidarity, which one has to appreciate in terms of the humanitarian spirit,” he said.