Women’s football continues to grow globally thanks to the efforts of FIFA, which has set the ambitious goal of reaching 60 million players by 2027. To achieve this, the world’s governing body for football offers 13 development programs available to its 211 member associations. In July 2025, this work translated into concrete actions through tournaments and promotional events held in Laos, Armenia, and Eritrea, along with new continental competitions that broke records and marked historic milestones.
In addition to on-the-ground activities, FIFA launched new initiatives focused on the training and empowerment of female coaches. These include the inaugural course of the Coach Educator Development Program and the third edition of the Mentorship Program for Coaches, which has already benefited dozens of professionals in the early stages of their careers. These efforts not only expand access to the game but also aim to build a strong and sustainable foundation for the future of women’s football.
Local initiatives, technical training, and history-making tournaments
In Asia, Laos hosted a new edition of the Women’s Football Promotional Campaign with over 250 participants, including girls, coaches, and national team players. The event, titled Forward for Women, promoted values such as inclusion and friendship. The local federation has also launched the Lao Women’s League, opened training centers, and built sports infrastructure with support from FIFA’s Forward program. In Armenia, the She Plays initiative transformed the square in front of the National Ballet and Opera Theatre in Yerevan into a temporary sports hub, with fan zones, recreational activities, and participation from national team footballers. Meanwhile, in Eritrea, an ambitious strategic plan for the development of women’s football was launched, along with training workshops in Asmara.
Meanwhile, FIFA launched the Coach Educator Development Program in Lisbon, gathering representatives from all six confederations to boost the training of female coaches globally. A new edition of its Mentorship Program also began in Zurich, with prominent figures like Tina Theune and Joe Montemurro supporting emerging coaches. On the competitive side, July was marked by historic tournaments: the UEFA Women’s Euro in Switzerland broke attendance records, the Solomon Islands won the OFC Women’s Nations Cup, and Bangladesh qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time. Additionally, the qualifying path for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 has begun, confirming that the rise of women’s football is now an unstoppable reality.
