FIFA Foundation is teaming up with Qatar Foundation and Generation Amazing to deliver a range of football initiatives to empower youth and the community of Qatar that go beyond the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. The announcements came during the Doha Forum, where FIFA Foundation signed agreements with Qatar Foundation and Generation Amazing, the latter, part of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC). As part of the agreements, the entities will work together to roll out the Football for Schools (F4S) programme across Qatar. The initiative, run by FIFA in collaboration with UNESCO, aims to contribute to the education, development and empowerment of around 700 million children globally, and seeks to make the sport more accessible to both boys and girls around the world by incorporating football activities into the education system.

Speaking after the signings, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “It is with great pleasure that today the FIFA Foundation officially partners with Generation Amazing and Qatar Foundation. To be able to positively impact society through the power of football is a shared goal and responsibility between each of our organisations, and using sport to reach the next generation is something all three place at the forefront of everything they do. We look forward to working together over the coming months and years in many common projects, and particularly to deliver Football for Schools in Qatar.” In addition to the MoU signings, FIFA Foundation, QF and GA also hosted a launch event at the Generation Amazing Community Hub – a short distance from Lusail Stadium, the venue at which the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final will take place on 18 December 2022. Joining more than 80 schoolchildren from across Qatar to participate in the football and education activities were three FIFA World Cup™ stars – FIFA Foundation CEO Youri Djorkaeff, as well two FIFA Legends; Australia’s Tim Cahill and Netherlands’ Nigel de Jong. The F4S programme also utilises a free digital application, which includes various training modules and is intended to help physical education teachers, coaches and parents support and manage F4S activities in their schools and communities. QF and GA have already contributed to the inclusivity and sustainability modules, with the inclusivity sections offering guidelines on how to promote accessibility within the programme and the sustainability modules providing information on regenerative education.

Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation; His Excellency Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy; and the FIFA President, attended the ceremonies and signed the agreements. Her Excellency Sheikha Hind said: “Hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ is a momentous occasion for our nation, and for the region as a whole. Working alongside our partners, FIFA Foundation and Generation Amazing, we are harnessing the power of football to affect positive change among young people and promote social progress that stretches beyond the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. “At Qatar Foundation, education is at the core of our mission, our ecosystem, and our beliefs. As we work together with our partners to reach our shared goals, we will offer our unique insights, expertise, and knowledge on the topics of inclusivity and sustainability – both of which are values that drive our efforts.”

“We are very proud to present this strategic partnership with FIFA Foundation, which highlights our belief in the power of football as a truly global and transformative tool that advances sustainable development and provides youth with unique opportunities to better their lives,” said Mr Al Thawadi. “As Qatar prepares to host the region’s first FIFA World Cup, we aim to utilise our partnership with FIFA Foundation to leave a meaningful human and social legacy in the region and beyond.” The F4S programme, which contributes to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, was launched in mid-2019 with pilot projects in Puerto Rico and Lebanon, and the Qatar Football Association and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education have been instrumental in launching the initiative in Qatar.