FIFA’s collaborative efforts to develop women’s football around the world continue to bear fruit, with four new countries set to participate in the upcoming FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™. Masu. In the 8th edition, Ecuador, Kenya and Poland will join the host countries and will be participating in the tournament for the first time. For all of Ecuador, this tournament marks the debut of the FIFA Women’s Tournament. Each of the four member associations has received significant funding in recent years from the various FIFA programs offered to support women’s football around the world. Additionally, the quartet’s participation on the world stage will help expand women’s soccer’s global footprint.
Next year’s tournament will increase to 24 teams, giving other countries even more opportunities to demonstrate the progress in women’s football. Ahead of the kick-off of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™, Inside FIFA looks at some of the ways investment and dedication helped four countries enjoy milestone achievements .
Significant investments through the FIFA Forward Program have enabled significant infrastructure improvements in the Dominican Republic and have contributed significantly to the development of women’s football. The newly rebuilt state-of-the-art headquarters of the Dominican Football Federation (FEDOFUTBOL) will be completed in 2022, and the High Performance Center in San Cristobal has recently been renovated, allowing the national team to prepare for tournaments in this facility. Ta. Almost USD 4.8 million has been and will continue to be invested in the technical center, directly benefiting the country’s various national teams. These works will directly benefit the U-17 Women’s World Cup, with at least one pitch expected to be used as a training venue during the tournament. FEDOFUTBOL Chairman José Deschamps said earlier this year: “In terms of infrastructure, our country’s opening up is bearing fruit.” “(Holding and participating in the tournament) will completely change football (in our country).”
An Unexpected FIFA Women’s World Cup Nearly a decade after qualifying for Canada 2015™, Ecuador is finally back on the world stage for women’s soccer, but given the level of investment off the field, it will only be a third time. The wait shouldn’t last long.
The Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) is investing in a technical center for the men’s and women’s youth divisions in Guayas, Ecuador, with approximately US$4.5 million in funding from the FIFA Forward Program. Some of FEF’s stated objectives for this project are to increase the number of girls and women playing football and to raise the standards of national players and national teams in international competitions.
The first phase has already been completed and includes the construction of two natural grass soccer fields, two changing rooms for the teams, one for the referees, stands and other complementary civil works. These pitches are also where a women’s soccer development program was held last July. The second phase is now nearing completion and is expected to begin soon. Jair Bertoni, Director of FIFA Member Association Americas, praised the efforts in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, saying: Women’s soccer. By strategically prioritizing women’s football, we are enabling girls and women everywhere to shine on and off the pitch, paving the way for a more inclusive future for our beautiful game. ”
Qualifying for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™ for the first time comes at a crucial time for Poland. Many players from this year’s squad will be hoping to compete again when the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026™ is hosted, the first FIFA Women’s event hosted by a European country on its home soil. Poland finished ahead of many of the traditional European powerhouses before beating France in a crucial tie to qualify for the 2024 tournament. This unprecedented achievement was made possible thanks to a variety of initiatives supported by FIFA in recent years.
Under the FIFA Women’s Development Program and with support from the Women’s Football Campaign, 16 festivals were held in 16 regions, with 1,600 girls taking part. The world governing body hosted a stakeholder workshop to coordinate all stakeholders to contribute to the first-ever women’s football strategy and provided funding for its launch. Meanwhile, the participation of Polish senior national team coach Nina Patalon has benefited her journey as a mentee in the FIFA Coach Mentorship Programme.
Kenya’s hosting of several tournaments, particularly last year’s 2023 CAF African Schools Championship CECAFA qualifiers for U-15 players, also contributed to FIFA Forward’s funding. “The potential of that country is huge,” Gerson Fernandes, director of FIFA’s African affiliates, said of Kenya. “After a long hiatus, the federation is back on track and our young female players showed great spirit and dedication. We are really proud of our participation in this first U-17 Women’s World Cup. Of course, I wish the players and all the teams all the best.” “
