The FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ underlined just how much women’s football has grown across all parts of the world with support from football’s world governing body. A host of new nations impressed and, for the first time, countries from all six confederations secured wins during the tournament. That on-field growth highlights FIFA’s ongoing investment in women’s football and is sure to be further heightened when the tournament takes place in South America for the first time as Brazil welcomes the world in 2027. The tournament will coincide with FIFA’s stated aim of having 60 million girls and women playing football across the globe by 2027. FIFA have worked hard alongside member associations (MAs) to stimulate and encourage growth in participation. One of FIFA’s major Women’s Football Development Programmes that MAs are benefiting from is the Women’s Football Campaign, an initiative that is aligned with Goal 1 (Develop & Grow) of FIFA’s Women’s Football Strategy (2018-2027).

At its core, the Women’s Football Campaign is designed to encourage MAs in every corner of the globe to grow participation at youth level. This is typically done by the respective MAs working with FIFA to deliver grassroots football events and provide a space for free play where players can feel included, have fun and be inspired. From Tahiti to Puerto Rico, Honduras to Ecuador, and Kenya to Laos, 2024 has underlined the variety of culturally diverse associations that have worked hand-in-hand with FIFA to provide social and inclusive opportunities for like-minded children to experience football in a fun environment. Inside FIFA highlights just some of the countries to have successfully benefitted from the Women’s Football Campaign so far this year.

Logistical challenges were overcome as FIFA supported Women’s Football Campaign sessions in Tahiti, with youngsters travelling from remote islands within French Polynesia. Participants joined the festival sessions not only from the main island of Tahiti, but also neighbouring Mo'orea, and the even more remote Marquesas Islands and Leeward Islands. The increased activity comes on the back of Tahiti reaching a new high of third at last year’s OFC U-16 Women's Championship.

Puerto Rico staged a series of Women’s Football Campaign festivals in June 2024 and will hold more in December this year. Impressively, approximately 1,000 girls from the Caribbean nation are expected to have attended the festivals by the end of the year. Majorie Martínez, Director of Women’s Soccer at the Puerto Rican Football Association hopes many participants are motivated to continue playing football through the events: “This women’s soccer festival is the perfect event to continue to get to know the sport. They can share and meet players of our national team and student athletes from the different universities of Puerto Rico so that girls can see themselves reflected, identify with them and continue to fall in love with the sport.”

The Women’s Football Campaign has been highly active in Honduras with festivals being staged across four months – July, August, September and October. FIFA’s League Development Programme is also underway in Honduras, with the ambitious Central American nation putting strong initiatives in place to further develop women’s football.

The Ecuadorian Football Association [FEF] has combined Women’s Football Campaign festivals and FIFA’s League Development Programme throughout 2024 as a way to maximise their impact, and as a means to scout and observe female talent within the country. This is particularly timely with the South America nation competing in their first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ during October. The FEF have ensured a broad geographical spread of activity with festivals in Esmeraldas (June), Santa Elena (July), Riobamba (October) and Ibarra (October), engaging 150 participants per festival. This is the second time that Ecuador have benefitted from FIFA’s Women’s Football Campaign. In 2023, the FEF delivered football festivals in the capital Quito. “We, as the Ecuadorian Football Association, hope to be able to take advantage of all the programmes offered by FIFA to develop women’s football,” said Tatiana Burgos, Ecuadorian Football Association Development Coordinator at the recent FIFA Women's Football Regional Workshop for CONMEBOL held in Bogotá. “They [the participants] are always very excited about making their dreams come true.”

The middle of the year marked a busy period in Kenya with festivals held in Embu and Samburu County, with Busia hosting a large event during August. The Women’s Football Campaign was successfully launched in the East African nation in 2023. After several years of concerted effort, the Kenyan Football Association has been rewarded with a first-ever global women’s tournament appearance at this month’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The Lao Football Federation organised its inaugural Women’s Football Campaign event in the capital Vientiane during September. Participation levels were strong with around 240 girls aged 8-16 taking part in the fun. Laos women’s national team players were also on hand to interact with the youngsters. Mohammed Herman Zaliana, Head of Lao Football Federation Coaching Learning, said: “Apart from the football small-sided games, a major highlight of the campaign was… autographs signing opportunity from the Lao women’s national team players and coaches, whose presence could inspire more girls to play football. We are looking to deliver more such events in order to attract more girls to play the game. Thank you, FIFA, for the support and bringing joy to these young girls.”