FIFA Introduces New Football Competition for Men’s national team
Do you know that the body governing football in the World, Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has introduced a new competition for men’s national teams which will be played during the international break? What is this competition like, when will it be played and which teams will be involved? That what am about to tell you below as you continue reading.
But for those eager to see something a little different, FIFA has some good news. FIFA will roll-out a new national team event this month as the governing body aims to provide more opportunities to developing nations.
- FIFA to facilitate inter-confederation friendilies during March match window of every year.
- Algeria, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka will host and organize pilot project matches.
- Initiative aims to provide member associations with key playing opportunities.
In line with the Strategic Objectives for the Global Game: 2023-2027 and following on from the decision taken by the FIFA Council in December 2022, FIFA will implement the pilot phase of the FIFA Series during the upcoming Men’s International Match Calender window in March 2024.
The announcement of this competition was made available on the official X account of FIFA on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. According to the information posted, 20 nations will compete in the newly launched FIFA series, with matches taking place in the next international break between March 18 to 26, 2024.
What is the FIFA Series?
The FIFA Series will see world football’s governing body support its member associations in organizing international friendly matches comprising four national teams from different confederations in a single host country.
FIFA will facilitate inter-confederation friendilies during the March match window of every year to provide more member associations around the world with key playing opportunities.
When does the FIFA Series take place?
Ahead of the full roll-out in March 2026, the pilot project will start from March 18 – 26 2024.
How were the teams selected for the FIFA Series pilot Project?
The FIFA Series was announced by the FIFA council in December 2022 and immediately drew significant attention from FIFA Member Associations (MAs). This project was naturally appealing to those MAs who are available and had no prior friendly or qualification commitments for the March 2024 international window. These discussions held through the FIFA Member Associations division led to the present line-up of the participating teams.
One good thing about the new football competition is that the national teams that have been selected are all from the FIFA’s six confederations, and they will kick start the pilot project. All the teams have been divided into five groups and will be hosted by Algeria, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka.
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Algeria will host Andorra, Bolivia and South Africa, the other group will see Bulgaria, Mongolia and Tanzania feature in a group containing hosts Azerbaijan, while Sri Lanka host Bhutan, Central African Republic and Papua New Guinea.
Cape Verde, Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea and Guyana will contest one of the two groups based in Saudi Arabia, with the second featuring Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Guinea and Vanuatu.
FIFA’s President, Gianni Infantino in a press conference said that this has been appeal stating that they have always wanted to compete against their counterparts from around the world.
He said,
“The FIFA Series is a positive step forward for national team football at a global level. Our member associations have been telling us for a long time now of their desire to test themselves against their counterparts from all around the world, and now they can do so with the current Men’s International Match Calender. More meaningful matches will enable far more valuable footballing interaction for players, teams and fans, and will make a concrete contribution to the development of the game.”
FIFA are set to cover travel costs for competing teams, but will not award trophies for the winners of the friendly series. The governing body has suggested that while more established nations typically have their friendlies arranged in advance, bigger teams may take part in the future.
The 2024 FIFA Series is viewed by organizers as a precursor to a large global 2026 edition, which they hope will attract interest from higher-ranked teams to participate or even host. As FIFA facilitates but does not directly organize the tournament, individual member associations and their commercial partners are invited to sponsor and support the hosting of the FIFA Series locally.
Expansion plans for 2026 are built around the enlarged 48-team World Cup finals format coming that year to North America. “Many member associations could arrive in the US, Mexico or Canada with no international experience outside their continent,” said Kenny jean-Marie, FIFA’s Chief Member Association Officer. The FIFA Series aims to address that need.
Broadcast deals are in discussion for the 2024 pilot, with matches also set to be streamed on FIFA’s dedicated FIFA+ platform. With the Series not formally clashing with confederation competitions, FIFA anticipates no issues around scheduling and calendar congestion. The governing body hopes this tournament gives more opportunities for lower-profile national teams to benefit from playing internationally.
Lastly, the FIFA Series are friendly matches that will be contested by national teams from different confederations, who don’t normally have the opportunity to play each other. The ultimate objective of the FIFA Series is to allow more international football interaction, making a concrete contribution to global football development.
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