FIFA is working hard around the world to help achieve a goal of 60 million female players by 2027. The ambitious target is underpinned by the FIFA Women’s Football Development Programme, which offers 13 areas of support for all 211 FIFA Member Associations (MAs). FIFA recently renewed and expanded the programme in a further boost to women’s football. Additional information for MAs can be found here. Inside FIFA looks at some of the significant recent activity which has helped expand women’s football globally.

Laos continued to build upon a significant investment in women’s football over recent years by hosting a FIFA Women’s Football Campaign event titled ‘Forward for Women’. Some 250 participants took part in the event held in Champasak province, including girls aged 8 to 14, coaches, teachers and two national team players. The campaign’s underlying goals are to create safe, inclusive and joyful environments, allowing girls to play freely, build confidence and explore their full potential via an inclusive and supportive football culture.

“At the Lao Football Federation, we believe every girl deserves the opportunity to shine both on and off the pitch,” said Kanya Keomany, Vice President of the Lao Football Federation (LFF) and the first Laotian to be elected to the FIFA Council. “This is more than just sport; it’s about building confidence, friendship, teamwork, learning to be a team player and becoming the future of Lao women’s football. Through this campaign, we are not only giving girls the chance to play football, we are giving them a voice, a community and a sense of pride.” The campaign builds on the inaugural Women’s Football Campaign event in the capital Vientiane last year, while recent years have seen the pilot programme for the Lao Women’s League, completion of the Champi-Champa LFF Training Centre with the aid of FIFA Forward, as well as the opening of a mini-pitch as part of the FIFA Arena project in Vientiane.

Yerevan’s iconic open-air square outside the Armenia National Ballet and Opera Theatre took on a different perspective in June thanks to a distinctive initiative by the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA). The tourist hub saw hundreds of young girls participate in FFA’s ‘She Plays’ initiative, supported by the FIFA Women’s Football Campaign. The core objectives of the project are to create a sustainable pathway from schools to clubs, increase the number of registered players and promote women’s football across the nation.

A huge fan zone drew many tourists and families with activities including promotional tents, small-sided games and more. The event received further profile with the attendance of senior and U-19 players as well as some well-known local influencers. The FFA applied for the FIFA Women’s Football Campaign to accelerate the development and visibility of women’s football in Armenia. The event is linked to the FFA’s new and previous Women’s Football Strategy, which focuses on growth and long-term sustainability.

The Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF), in collaboration with FIFA and key national stakeholders, officially launched its Women’s Football Strategic Plan, a significant milestone in the development of the women’s game in the East African nation. This comprehensive framework sets out a clear vision to grow and strengthen women’s football from grassroots to the elite level.

A central pillar of the strategy is capacity building, with a targeted focus on empowering staff, clubs and regional stakeholders who will play a critical role in implementing the plan. To support this, a Capacity Building Workshop took place alongside the launch in the capital Asmara. The strategy and workshop follow on from the FIFA Football for Schools programme rolled out earlier this year.

FIFA took another step in elevating women’s football globally with the inaugural edition of the FIFA Female Coach Educators' Development Pathway course. With a strategic goal of increasing the number of female coaches, the course is a ‘train the trainer’ style programme. “The future of our sport depends on who we empower today – and that future must include women at all levels of the game – on and off the pitch,” said Dame Sarai Bareman, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer.

The first edition of the programme was held over a hugely successful week at the Portuguese Football Federation in Lisbon with coaches from all six confederations represented. Included were a wide variety of theoretical and practical activities, all geared to equip participants with the essentials for the further development of Female Coach Educators. Hosted two years from the start date of the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027™, the course is another valuable step towards helping promote female role models. Brazilian attendee Débora Ferreira said: “Maybe many women just don't see that this space exists. I believe that something like what FIFA is promoting is a way of saying, ‘look, there is a path for you to follow’. The opportunity is here and now you can choose. Before, I didn't see it as an option.”

There was a further boost for female coaches as the third edition of FIFA’s Elite Performance: Coach Mentorship Programme kicked off in Zurich. The programme aims to develop and empower female coaches who are individually mentored by a top coach from the women’s game over an 18-month period and has already boosted the careers of dozens of participants.

As in previous years, FIFA has brought in a host of well-known coaches from all corners of the globe to provide mentorship. The headline names include former FIFA Women’s World Cup™ winners Tina Theune, Even Pellerud and Melanie Behringer, as well as current national team coaches Arthur Elias, Desiree Ellis and Joe Montemurro, to name just a few.

Continental action took place across four confederations over the past month, with matches in Asia also counting as qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil. The first UEFA Women's EURO to be hosted in Switzerland proved to be a huge success with popular live sites and an all-time tournament attendance record broken before the group stage was completed. New horizons were also reached as Poland and Wales made their debuts in the 16-nation competition, while Italy reached their first semi-final since 1997.

The road to the AFC Asian Women’s Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 commenced on 23 June in Chiang Mai, Thailand, as India opened with a win over Mongolia. India ultimately topped Group B ahead of two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup participants Thailand. History was made in Yangon, Myanmar, as Bangladesh reached their first AFC Women’s Asian Cup by topping Group C. Nepal came close to emulating them but lost to Uzbekistan in a penalty shoot-out which was staged to decide Group F after both teams finished on seven points. With the final 12-nation field now complete, focus turns to the Draw in Sydney on 29 July.

The Copa América Femenina kicked off on 11 July in Ecuador, although for the first time, CONMEBOL will hold a separate competition to decide FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification, to be played between October 2025 and June 2026.

The OFC Women’s Nations Cup returned to Fiji which also hosted the previous edition in 2022. Solomon Islands secured a breakthrough achievement by winning their first senior male or female continental title with a 3-2 extra-time win over title-holders Papua New Guinea. The tournament was also notable for small Polynesian nation Samoa finishing a best-ever third. As in South America, a separate competition will decide qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.