FIFA are working hard around the world to help achieve a goal of 60 million female players by 2027. The ambitious target is underpinned by 13 development programmes with all 211 FIFA Member Associations (MAs) eligible to apply for support from world football's governing body.

In 2025, FIFA renewed and expanded its Women’s Development Programme in a further boost to women’s football. Additional information can be found here.

Inside FIFA looks at just some of the significant recent activity which continues to help the expansion of women’s football globally.

FIFA have taken another step towards empowering the next generation of female coaches with the second workshop in the third edition of the Elite Performance: Coach Mentorship Programme. The programme is another tangible tool in the push to exponentially grow women’s football as recently reiterated by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. FIFA’s focus on increasing the number of female coaches globally stretches across numerous programmes, including the recently announced coaching scholarship collaboration with England’s Football Association (The FA) and Women’s Super League Football.

Featuring 20 matched pairs of highly experienced and up-and-coming coaches, the latest workshop took place over three action-filled days in London, England and included on-field sessions at Chelsea FC’s training ground, before closing with a visit to Arsenal Stadium for the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™ final. The programme supports the career development of its participants by equipping them with knowledge and facilitating connections between mentors and mentees.

The domestic leagues of Uganda and Romania both completed their participation inpilot projects as part of the FIFA Commercial Strategy programme with applications now open for all 211 MAs to develop a commercial strategy for their respective leagues. The programme is designed to build sustainable business structures that harness the massive growth in women’s football.

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) launched the FUFA Women Super League Commercial Strategy at a well-attended event held in the capital Kampala. FUFA intends to use the programme to strengthen commercial structures, enhance elite competitions and establish talent development pathways from grassroots to national league level.

FUFA President, Hon. Moses Magogo Hassim, said: “Today, parents and communities have accepted that a girl can play football, access education and even earn a living through the game. Our focus now is to professionalise women’s football, strengthen clubs and ensure sustainable investment that allows our players to reach their full potential.”

The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) presented their strategy to key stakeholders at the launch in Bucharest in early February. The event underlined FIFA’s support, while inspiring those present – clubs, sponsors, media partners – to invest in women’s football.

“Women's football has overcome the phase in which it can only be supported by energy, enthusiasm and punctual initiatives,” said FRF President Răzvan Burleanu. “The next stage means professionalisation, predictability in delivery, common standards, investments in the product, content and match experience.”

A new era for women’s football in Ghana has kicked off with the launch of U-15 regional leagues across various regions of the West African nation. Launched under the tagline ‘Inspire Greatness’ and funded by FIFA’s League Development programme, the new programme represents an opportunity to maintain player development for a nation that has traditionally been one of the strongest in women’s football on the continent.

The Paraguayan Football Association’s (APF) focus on developing women’s football continued with an Under-15 women's promotional tournament held in late January, supported by FIFA's Women's Football League Development programme. The competition, which was held at the APF’s MINICARDIF facilities and aims to promote the development of women's football at the formative stage, saw 12 teams and around 300 players participate.

Last year the APF hosted a number of campaigns supported by world football’s governing body, including Women’s Football Campaigns and a Capacity Building for Administrators event.

February marked yet another milestone for women’s football with a highly successful conclusion to the inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™. European champions Arsenal Women FC outlasted a hugely competitive SC Corinthians to claim the crown in London, while Gotham FC defeated Morocco’s ASFAR for third place with record-breaking prize money on offer. The tournament commenced in October with the champions of each confederation taking part.

The tournament also provided strong portents for a vibrant and well-supported FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™. Corinthians overcame NWSL champions Gotham in the semi-final and then pushed Arsenal to extra-time in the decider to underscore the Brazilian side’s quality. Off the field, Corinthians were supported by a huge contingent of colourful and high-energy fans in London. Back in Brazil, Caze TV reported over one million viewers for the final, with strong streaming figures also recorded.

The innovative tournament’s success – hailed as a new era for women’s football by FIFA President Gianni Infantino – paves the way for the 2027 edition, and builds momentum for the first ever FIFA Women’s Club World Cup in 2028.

The past month saw another landmark moment on the journey towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ with the official opening of FIFA’s Rio de Janeiro office.

The off-field heartbeat of the tournament has 76 employees so far with many more to come. Currently, 65% of the Rio de Janeiro office are female employees.

The month also marked 500 days until Brazil 2027 kicks-off. Brazilian female creators crafted artworks for each of the eight Host Cities drawing upon Brazilians’ unique tradition of painting the streets to cheer on their country’s national teams.

The FIFA-funded Afghan Women United took another step on their journey with the first training camp of the year in Doncaster, England, in mid-February. Established as part of the FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football, the team successfully completed their first matches at the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025™ in October and November.

With player selection and opening matches part of last year’s focus, the goal now is to offer players access to a high-performance environment that enables them to make their mark at the professional level.

“We’re now looking to provide tailored support for each player worldwide, enhance our competitive environment and take a holistic approach with a larger group,” said head coach Pauline Hamill. “Players will receive remote education, and they’ll attend regional training camps so that we can monitor their performance levels. We’ll be selecting a squad that’ll take part in two matches in June.”