FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his commitment to working towards bringing a FIFA youth tournament to Singapore in the future during a meeting with Football Association of Singapore (FAS) President Forrest Li, following the second session of the FIFA Executive Football Summit 2025 in Miami, United States.

Mr Li was elected as FAS President on 28 April 2025. He is also an entrepreneur who founded tech conglomerate Sea Limited, and is chairman of Lion City Sailors FC, who play in the Singapore Premier League and were recently runners-up in the AFC Champions League Two competition. Mr Li has pledged to focus on infrastructure and youth development as two pillars of his administration. This was the first time Mr Li had the opportunity to meet with the FIFA President since his election in April 2025.

“FAS President Forrest Li and I had a constructive discussion in Miami on how we can continue collaborating to take football forward in his beautiful country, including the possibility of the men's national team's participation in the 2026 FIFA Series and the potential hosting of a FIFA youth competitions in the future,” Mr Infantino said following his meeting with Mr Li.

“When I visited Singapore in 2021, I felt the great passion people in the country have for football, and it reflected in the work being done to grow the game. FIFA has an established, fruitful relationship with the FAS through FIFA Forward and FIFA Football for Schools, and I offered FIFA's full support to President Li and his team while congratulating him on his recent election.”

Thanks to USD 2 million in funding from FIFA Forward, the renovation of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) headquarters and the pitch enhancement at Jalan Besar Stadium were successfully carried out in recent years. This project significantly improved FAS administrative facilities while also upgrading the stadium’s pitch to better support domestic competitions and national team training. In recognition of these impactful developments, FAS received one of the first-ever FIFA Forward Bronze Awards among FIFA’s Asian member associations.

Support for Singaporean football at youth and grass-roots level forms an important part of FIFA collaboration with the FAS. The Singapore Under-22 team is also receiving FIFA Forward support ahead of the 2029 SEA Games, which they will host.

In addition, through FIFA Forward, FIFA is collaborating with the Football Association of Singapore on the FAS Subvention Programme. This initiative is designed to strengthen football development by providing targeted support to clubs participating in the Singapore Football League (SFL). The programme places a strong emphasis on improving club governance and long-term sustainability, with funding primarily directed towards covering administrative and operational expenses.

The FIFA Talent Development Scheme has also provided support for the appointment of a FAS Head of Talent Identification and a Women’s Under-19 National Team Head Coach, to address the current leadership gap and enhance development.

Speaking after his meeting with Mr Infantino, Mr Li expressed his excitement to be witnessing the FIFA Club World Cup™ from the United States and hearing about future FIFA initiatives at youth level.

"We talked about the summer – new initiatives from FIFA about the FIFA Series and also the concept of a FIFA festival for Under-15s,” Mr Li explained.

“I think that’s a great initiative to get more (FIFA Member Associations) involved and to help the players feel included and get the chance to experience the best of FIFA’s football experience.

“So, I think that is very exciting. And we also talked about the current FIFA Club World Cup. I think it’s a great initiative, and finally we see a lot of excitement… and you see the best clubs from different continents finally playing together. So, this is great.”