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. FIFA recently renewed and expanded its FIFA Women’s Development Programme in a further boost to women’s football. Additional information for MAs can be found here. Inside FIFA looks at just some of the significant recent activity which has helped build the footprint of women’s football globally.

Headlined by Marta Cox’s stunning goal against France, Panama’s inspiring debut was one of the many fascinating sub-plots of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™. Keen to maintain momentum and build on that strong platform, the Panamanian Football Federation (FEPAFUT) working with FIFA’s League Development Programme organised an expansive U-12 National Girls’ League. Played over three months and in five cities - Veraguas, Veraguas Centro, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Occidente and Colón – over 500 girls across the country participated. “Over the past two years, we have worked to promote women’s football across the entire country, bringing the game to every corner,” said Carolina Joly, Women´s Football Manager FEPAFUT. “It’s not just about the smiles of the 23 players who went to Australia and New Zealand in 2023, but about the smiles of all our girls.”

The Mauritius Football Association (MFA) launched their FIFA Women’s Football Campaign and were rewarded with a healthy turnout over 100 girls aged 6-12. With a primary theme of welcoming new players to the game in a fun environment, the campaign featured two main components – football and life skills. Still in the early stages of their women’s football programme, the remote Indian Ocean nation aims to achieve over 500 girls playing football by 2027.

South Africa have now launched an extensive and much-anticipated Women’s Football Strategy. Various stakeholders, including two FIFA consultants, came together to identify the priority areas and framed the goals and actions that would eventually lay the foundation for the strategy which aims to supercharge women’s football in the Rainbow Nation. “It has always been our dream to collaboratively develop such a document - a guiding framework for current and future leaders in women’s football to reference, enabling us all to elevate women’s football in South Africa to its full potential,” said South African Football Association (SAFA) CEO and former national team player Lydia Monyepao.

The Central African Republic Football Federation (RCA), in partnership with FIFA's Women's Football Division, held a ceremony to celebrate the launch of the country’s new women’s football development strategy. This landmark event, combined with a capacity-building workshop for women's football administrators, marks a turning point for the sport, which has been practiced for more than four decades in the country. The workshop also included an inspection of the site where the new women’s football technical centre is being built, which is set to be inaugurated later this year. Approximately 100 participants took part in the event, including representatives from the federal government, which demonstrates the commitment of the RCA and country's leadership to provide more opportunities for girls and women to play football.

Growing passion for football was in evidence as Turks and Caicos Island Football Association (TCIFA) hosted a Women’s Football Campaign across three locations - Providenciales, South Caicos, North Caicos. An impressive total of more than 180 attendees were on hand in one of the Caribbean’s smaller nations underscoring the TCIFA’s strong ongoing commitment to advancing women’s football and creating opportunities for girls. Yunelsis Rodríguez Baez, Women's Football Director TCIFA said: “I believe that the importance of carrying out activities like these - especially with girls - is highly relevant to our social mission, and it will allow us to expand by creating a safe space for the practice of women's football in every corner of our island.”

Women’s football in Denmark is enjoying a boom with a 6% increase in girls and women players adding to a record high in participation numbers. Undoubtedly buoyed by Denmark’s return to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 following a 16-year absence, the largest percentage increase in female participation was in the 13-18 age group. "I am particularly pleased that there are so many girls and women who have joined a football club,” said Denmark Football Association (DBU) chairman Jesper Møller. “This is a very positive development and helps to strengthen diversity in Danish football."

While the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ continues to move ever closer with numerous qualifiers to take place this year, the benefits of hosting the tournament continues to resonate for the 2023 co-hosts. New Zealand Football (NZF) announced that a fund has been established with $8.4 million received from FIFA following co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup to be put towards developing the game for girls and women in the country. Andrew Pragnell, NZF CEO said: “We have already seen fantastic growth for girls’ and women, with a 27% increase in participation from before the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to now, but this is a long-term project where we want to continually be supporting the game, and this investment helps us continue to drive towards that.” Meanwhile, growing the next generation of coaches is part of that ongoing focus with an OFC/NZF female-only C Licence course held in the capital Wellington. “It’s a safe space where women can truly grow and learn as coaches,” said course facilitator and Wellington Phoenix A-League Women assistant coach Amy Shepherd. “Creating that environment and creating that space for people to feel that they can not only give feedback but also take it has been really important.”

The latest female coaches included for the 2025 FIFA Coach Education Scholarship were recently onboarded for the online mentoring element of the programme. The scholarship’s primary objectives are to empower female coaches, support personal development, build networks, as well as educate and inspire. This year’s inductees for the programme, which is supported by software company Xero, include a diverse global representation, many of whom are players transitioning into the next stage of their careers. “One of the key findings in the report is that across 86 leagues and 669 clubs, only 22% of head coaches are women. While we cannot improve this figure overnight, by unearthing and analysing the data, we can understand where we need to continue to invest,” said FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis.

FIFA’s commitment to growing all aspects of women’s football continued during the month with a eye-catching brand unveiled for the first-ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup™. The first FIFA tournament to take place in the Philippines will boast an emblem with a distinctly Filipino flavour, fusing futsal’s key elements with references to local street art and motifs, Zamboanga Vinta boats, the gabbang musical instrument and traditional binakol patterns. Meanwhile, the first edition of the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Ranking for 2025 reinforced the game’s rapid growth with five new teams entering the women’s table following qualifying fixtures for Philippines 2025.