Sri Lankan football took a significant step forward thanks to the introduction of the FIFA Series™, according to Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) President Jaswar Umar. The country hosted the inaugural FIFA Series in Colombo in March 2024, bringing together four nations from three different confederations for a tournament that the FFSL described as far more than the delivery of an international competition.

The event, staged at the Racecourse Ground, saw the Sri Lankan national team welcome Bhutan, the Central African Republic and Papua New Guinea to Colombo. The venue itself stood as one of the clearest examples of FIFA's ongoing support for the country's football development: it was renovated and prepared to host international football with the assistance of the FIFA Forward Programme, which has underpinned infrastructure and capacity-building projects across FIFA's Member Associations (MAs). FFSL President Umar said the tournament allowed the Sri Lankan team to test itself in conditions that would ordinarily be difficult to arrange.

“Hosting the inaugural FIFA Series in Colombo in March 2024 was far more than the successful delivery of an international tournament. For Sri Lanka, it was a powerful statement that our football belongs on the global stage – and that countries still building their footballing strength deserve meaningful opportunities to compete, learn and dream,” he said. “The tournament brought together Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea and the Central African Republic – four nations from three different confederations, united by football. Such cross-confederation encounters would ordinarily be difficult for an association like ours to arrange. Through FIFA's support, our national team was able to experience unfamiliar playing styles, test itself against international opposition and gain two valuable matches without defeat: a goalless draw against Papua New Guinea and an encouraging 2-0 victory over Bhutan.”

Umar said the value of the tournament went well beyond results on the pitch, pointing to the experience gained by Sri Lankan officials working alongside FIFA specialists. “Our administrative, competition, media, technical, medical and event management teams gained practical experience in delivering matches according to international standards. These lessons have strengthened our institutional capacity and given our people the confidence to organise more ambitious football events in the future. “The legacy is also visible in our infrastructure. With the assistance of FIFA Forward, the Racecourse Ground in Colombo was renovated and prepared to welcome international football. This represents the kind of sustainable support that leaves something meaningful behind: an improved venue, better trained personnel and a stronger platform for our players and supporters.”

For Umar, the tournament's deepest significance lay in reconnecting Sri Lankan football with its supporters, including a generation of young fans seeing the international game up close for the first time. “Above all, the FIFA Series allowed Sri Lankan football to reconnect with its people,” he said. “Our players walked onto the field knowing that they were not merely contesting friendly matches; they were carrying the hopes of a football-loving nation that has endured difficult times but has never stopped believing in the game. Young boys and girls watching those matches could see that international football was not a distant spectacle – it was happening in their own city, before their own eyes.” Umar extended his thanks to FIFA its President Gianni Infantino, crediting his leadership with ensuring developing football nations are not overlooked.

“On behalf of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka, I express our sincere appreciation to FIFA and, in particular, to FIFA President Gianni Infantino,” he said. “His commitment to making football truly global has ensured that developing football nations are not left at the margins. Under his leadership and patronage, FIFA has listened to the needs of its Member Associations and translated that understanding into tangible opportunities, investment and technical assistance. “FIFA's support has not simply helped us stage matches; it has helped us restore belief. It has shown our players that they can compete, our officials that they can deliver at the highest level, and our supporters that Sri Lankan football can move forward with ambition.”

Looking ahead, Umar described the FIFA Series 2024 as the start of a longer journey for Sri Lankan football rather than a standalone achievement. “The FIFA Series 2024 was not an endpoint,” he said. “It was a beginning – a bridge between where Sri Lankan football stands today and where we aspire to be tomorrow. With FIFA beside us, and with the continued encouragement of President Infantino, we are determined to turn this opportunity into lasting progress for every player, coach, official and football loving child in Sri Lanka.”