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. Earlier this year FIFA renewed and expanded its Women’s Development Programme in a further boost to women’s football. Additional information for FIFA’s Women’s Football Development Programmes can be found here. Inside FIFA looks at just some of the significant recent activity which continues to build the footprint of women’s football globally.

It was a busy period in Malaga in late November with the Andalusian city hosting the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF)'s first module of their Training Course in Women's Football as part of FIFA’s Capacity Building for Administrators programme. The event was timed around Spain’s UEFA Nations League semi-final against Sweden at Malaga’s Estadio La Rosaleda which the world champions won 4-0 and ultimately qualified for this month’s final, where La Roja will seek to retain their title. RFEF President Rafael Louzán reiterated his organisation’s commitment to further growing women’s football: “Words and gestures are not enough; only through clear and decisive actions can we achieve the full consolidation of women’s football. There is a strong and unstoppable commitment to this cause.”

Greece maintained its focus on developing women’s football participation numbers by hosting another football festival for girls as part of the FIFA Women’s Football Campaign. It is the latest of many such events hosted by the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) for girls between 10 and 16 years old. This festival took place in the small Laconia region and had a focus on the participation of unregistered girls, which saw over 100 girls in attendance.

The FUFA Women Super League (FWSL) clubs received a significant boost in medical and technical equipment from the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), with support from FIFA’s League Development Programme. Equipment was handed over to all 12 FWSL clubs during a ceremony held at the FUFA Complex in Mengo, with each club receiving medical equipment such as stretchers and fully packed medical bags, and also technical equipment ranging from balls to tactical boards. It follows strongly-supported FIFA Women's Football Campaigns held in the East African nation earlier this year. “Today, Uganda stands as a model for structured women’s football development to many African nations thanks to FIFA’s continuous support and FUFA’s strategic implementation of this programme,” said Edgar Watson Suubi, FUFA Chief Executive Officer. “FUFA remains committed to sustaining this progress by building on the programme’s foundations to expand opportunities, improve league operations, and promote inclusivity and excellence.”

Empowerment, knowledge sharing and increasing the number of female administrators was the focus as the Football Federation of Burundi (FFB) hosted a FIFA Capacity Building for Administrators workshop. Hosted in the nation’s largest city, Bujumbura, the expansive five-day event featured participants from every province and was facilitated by FIFA expert Marie Anielle Collet and local instructors. Topics such as leadership, finance, marketing, communication, sponsorship, club licensing, strategic planning, safeguarding and female athlete health were delivered during a productive week.

Friday 21 November 2025 witnessed the launch of world football’s governing body’s newest tournament as the much-anticipated first edition of the FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup™ commenced. It is also the first time the Philippines have hosted a FIFA tournament with PhilSports Arena in Manila the venue for the milestone event.

Morocco and Argentina enjoyed the honour of participating in the new tournament’s very first match with Ana Ontiveros snaring the tournament’s first goal in a 6-0 triumph for the South Americans. The hosts took to the court later in the evening against Poland with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in attendance, with the visitors securing a triumph by the same scoreline thanks to a flurry of late goals.

All 54 Confederation of African Football (CAF) MAs were invited to Rabat, Morocco with a unified goal of advancing women’s football. It was the fifth of six workshops after similar events for the MAs of AFC, Concacaf and CONMEBOL in 2024, as well as UEFA at the Home of FIFA in September 2025.

Aletha Massaquoi, Manager of Women’s Football at the Liberia Football Association said: “The workshop has been like a storybook coming to reality. It has been totally amazing, I am living the dream a girl in Liberia wants to live. It has been great to see some old faces, and reconnect and build a relationship. “I am taking away leadership skills, I also came to know about my influence and how I can make use of it. I am also taking away telling the girls’ story, telling my story, telling about the women’s football story in general and how we can enhance the story of Africa.”

Momentum is building towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ in South America with CONMEBOL qualification underway. Notably, and with the support of FIFA, it is the first time that CONMEBOL are hosting a standalone competition. The CONMEBOL Women's Nations League will see teams play home and away matches to decide qualification, creating more competitive playing opportunities in the continent. 

Colombia is the only nation with a perfect record after two rounds, while Chile, Argentina and Venezuela sit on four points each. With Brazil not competing, nine nations are in the mix for two automatic slots to the first FIFA Women’s World Cup held on the South American continent. The next two best-placed teams will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Across the Pacific Ocean, Cook Islands this week play host to the First Round of OFC qualifiers which also features Polynesian neighbours American Samoa, Tahiti and Tonga. One nation will advance to next year’s eight-team second round. The overall winner will qualify for Brazil 2027 with the runner-up advancing to the inter-confederation play-offs.

For Concacaf, the preliminary stage of the 2026 Concacaf W Championship is set to kick-off this month. With FIFA's support, a record number of teams are taking part in the qualifiers, with 29 nations vying to qualify for next year's revamped championship. At the conclusion of the Concacaf W Qualifiers, the six group winners will join the United States and Canada (the two highest-ranked teams) in the eight-team Concacaf W Championship. The four semi-finalists will book their place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with a further two teams competing in the inter-confederation play-offs.

Meanwhile in Europe, the UEFA draw for qualifying took place on 4 November and sees Spain and England set to resume their rivalry after meeting in the Australia & New Zealand 2023 Final. Eleven automatic qualification berths are on offer plus one ticket to the inter-confederation play-offs.

An inspirational and pioneering four-nation tournament in Morocco saw Afghanistan represented on the international stage for the first time in nearly four years by Afghan Women United as part of the FIFA Unites: Women's Series 2025. The squad’s participation, highlighted by a 7-0 win over Libya, was part of the multi-pillar FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football.

A stellar year for Indian women’s football continued unabated last month as the South Asian nation qualified for the 2026 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup. It followed earlier qualification for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the 2026 AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup, marking the first time India has won through to all three tournaments in the same cycle. India will now have the opportunity to qualify for the corresponding FIFA tournaments.

Success on the pitch builds on numerous earlier investments, most notably the Indian Women’s League which was launched just under a decade ago with support from FIFA Forward. This year alone the All India Football Federation, with the backing of FIFA’s various Women’s Football Development Programmes, has hosted a Capacity Building for Administrators workshop, and multiple festivals across the nation as part of the FIFA Women’s Football Campaign.