FIFA is providing financial and logistical support to its 211 Member Associations (MAs) through various programmes. We take a look at the extraordinary work that FIFA's MAs have been doing in recent weeks to promote, strengthen and make football truly global.

The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) took the FIFA Football for Schools (F4S) Project to the Midlands Province this month. Schools in Gokwe, Gweru, Kwekwe, Mberengwa, Mvuma, Shurugwi and Zvishavane received a consignment of footballs as part of the programme which seeks to make the game more accessible to both boys and girls around the world by incorporating football activities into the education system. The distribution is aimed at increasing access to football at grassroots level, nurturing young talent, and promoting social inclusion through sport. The Football for Schools project aligns with ZIFA’s broader vision of expanding football development across all corners of the country, particularly in underserved and hard-to-reach areas. By providing schools with basic equipment, the MA continues to lay the foundation for a more inclusive and vibrant football ecosystem.

The Football for Schools programme launched this month in Nepal with a total of 32,640 adidas footballs delivered to the country. Some 270 schools have been identified for the pilot implementation phase, covering the country’s seven provinces and nearly 50 districts, with more schools expected to join as the programme develops.

Training for the F4S coaches took place in Kathmandu for 11 of the 49 District FA Safeguarding Officers. The remaining number will be trained by the MA Officer, who will travel to various district towns, conducting sessions in batches of eight to 12 participants.

“Football can be used as a tool for education, to not just deliver more opportunities for physical education, but also to train coach educators to pass along important life skills to children and therefore have a positive impact on their lives," said Sanjeevan Balasingam, FIFA Director of Member Associations Asia & Oceania.

“Our goal is to ensure that anyone that wants to play football knows they can do so through their school and community without concern for discriminatory, financial, or logistical barriers. In turn, we want to ensure that schools and communities have access to the football coaching and equipment needed to support these kids.”

Alongside the F4S launch event in Nepal, two special projects from the FIFA Forward programme have just been approved: the U-14 School Football for Boys and the U-14 School Football for Girls.

Uganda's pledge to establish a pathway for elite referees was reaffirmed with a five-day FIFA MA Referee Course organised by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) at their Technical Centre in Njeru. The 30 referees successfully completed the intensive course, which comprised a fitness test, theory, and practical sessions. The course was designed to enhance the knowledge, fitness, consistency, and overall performance of elite referees – aligning their skills with international standards and preparing them for high-level competition. FIFA Technical Instructor Mr Abdel Fatah Essam thanked FUFA for its commitment to the development of Ugandan referees, and the Referees Committee for their vital contributions to the success of the course. “You are here as referees to uphold the integrity of the game, to respect the laws of the game, and to conduct yourselves with honesty and professionalism,” he said.

In Ghana, the General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Prosper Harrison Addo, opened the 2025 FIFA Male Young Talent Referees Course at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram. The capacity-building programme, supported by FIFA, brought together 40 promising young referees selected through the GFA’s flagship “Catch Them Young” initiative. The course is expected to significantly enhance the technical and physical capabilities of Ghana’s next generation of referees and elevate the overall quality of officiating in the country.

Scottish coach Stuart McLaren has been appointed as the FIFA Talent Coach for the Ghana Football Association for the next two years under the FIFA Talent Development Scheme. McLaren, a UEFA Pro License holder who transitioned into coaching following a professional playing career, will work closely under Technical Director Professor Joseph Kwame Mintah to deliver on the set objectives for the Ghana Talent Identification and Development (TDS) programme, under the auspices of Arsène Wenger, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development.

The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has been hosting a five-day FIFA Young Talent Member Association Course for referees under the age of 25 at Mpira Village in Blantyre. The course was designed to develop and nurture establishing refereeing talent in the country.

Ten motorcycles and two SUVs were purchased as part of a Contract on Agreed Objectives (CAO) between the Liberian Football Association (LFA) and FIFA in 2023, in line with the FIFA Forward 3.0 programme. These vehicles will enhance the LFA's operational capacity and support initiatives to promote football across the region.

At the handover, Maryland County Sub-Association Chairman Franklin Nah thanked LFA President Mustapha Raji and the Executive Committee, describing the donation as a timely response to the logistical challenges faced by the sub-associations.

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) hosted Safeguarding Officers from various regional associations at its headquarters in Luque, Paraguay, as part of an institutional strengthening session focused on the protection of children, young people and vulnerable persons in the football environment. CONMEBOL, through its CONMEBOL SUMA program, reaffirms its commitment to creating safe and inclusive environments for children in football.

The FIFA Guardians™ Child Safeguarding in Sport Diploma, developed by world football’s governing body and the Open University (OU) together with international experts, professionals and academics in the field of child safeguarding, is a publicly accessible educational offer available in English, French and Spanish.

The programme comprises five online courses, which are mainly aimed at child Safeguarding Officers of the 211 FIFA Member Associations (FIFA learners). Since the launch of the FIFA Guardians Child Safeguarding Diploma in 2021, FIFA has been working even more closely with its MAs in this area.

A FIFA delegation consisting of Christoph Suppiger, FIFA Head of MA Finance Services, Samba Maganda Franciny, Regional Office Manager, and Amine Achiba, Development Programme Manager, paid an official visit to Equatorial Guinea. The purpose of the official mission of FIFA President Gianni Infantino's envoys was to evaluate the Equatoguinean Football Federation (FEGUIFUT) in terms of finance and governance and to monitor the various football competitions. During their visit, the FIFA experts inspected FEGUIFUT's facilities and met with the association's general secretary and finance director. Accompanied by FEGUIFUT Secretary General Juan Antonio Nguema Mañe and members of the Technical Directorate, they visited the Technical Center in Alegre, the Luba stadium, and matches of the men's and women's lower division leagues SUB 15-17 at the Buena Esperanza uno, Macuandja Ngongolo and Cano Sport pitches, among others.

Umuganda Stadium in Rubavu hosted 96 girls aged across U-15 and U-13 age groups with four football academies participating in the FIFA Women’s Football Campaign. The programme is supported by FIFA through the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) under its women’s football development programme. The camp served as both a motivational campaign and a skills development opportunity. The head coach of the national women’s football team, André Cassa Mbungo, was among those in attendance, alongside representatives from FIFA and members of FERWAFA’s Women’s Football Development Commission. "It is about mass participation," said Thubaelihle Sibanda, FIFA Women's football technical expert. "We use it to pass a message, to break barriers in terms of challenges and perceptions in the communities about girls playing soccer. For us (it is) a commitment about how we want more girls to play in a safe space.

"There is a lot of talent here. The challenge is for us to start getting our national teams active at youth level as well. [We] can see how far we can go. For example, we now have the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup happening in Morocco every year for the next five years. This is an opportunity for Rwanda to pick the U-13 and U-15 players for the next two years and we can aspire to qualify for this kind of tournament."

The Bermuda Football Association (BFA) celebrated another milestone with the official launch of the FIFA Talent Academy Bermuda at the Clyde Best Center of Excellence. The programme will provide male and female players between the ages of 12 and 16 the opportunity to develop in an elite environment.

“One of the big things we look for at FIFA is the motivation of the leadership in the member associations and how they want to get better and use it, and they [BFA] have been fantastic,” said FIFA High Performance Specialist, Ryan Nelsen. “Along with the FIFA Talent coach Jake Littlejohn, the improvement has been amazing in the last 12 to 18 months that we’ve been here."

A FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) event took place from 12-17 July 2025 in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. This programme was a continuation of the previous TDS series held in Bogor and Yogyakarta and focused on two main activities: a Talent Identification Workshop for coaches and analysts, and a Talent Development Player Camp for promising young players born in 2011 and 2012.

In Bhutan, there were TDS workshops which focused on talent identification, age-specific training and the development of a long-term youth development plan. There was also a FIFA visit to the women's academy at Ranging Central School as part of FIFA's continuous monitoring and support towards the growth of women's football.

The second FIFA Arena mini-pitch in Thailand was opened on 1 August. After the first was inaugurated in May, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) has overseen the establishment of a second artificial playing surface at Don Mueang Chaturachinda School in the capital, Bangkok. By the time of the FIFA Congress in 2031, the FIFA Arena project aims to install at least 1,000 mini-pitches globally for use by schoolchildren and local communities.

The Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) has celebrated 25 years of FIFA membership with a football festival at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu.

Attended by BFF President Dasho Ugen Tsechup and a number of BFF Executive Committee members, a day of smiles and skills saw fans of all ages have the opportunity to take part in a variety of fun-filled football-themed activities and share their passion for the beautiful game.