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FIFA Series: Inaugural Season Concludes
Prince Jean
Thursday, March 28, 2024


The inaugural FIFA Series, concluding on March 26th, marked a significant milestone in international football by hosting friendly matches that brought together national teams from FIFA's six confederations. This initiative provided a unique platform for teams that rarely face off against one another, fostering a diverse competitive environment.
The pilot edition saw participation from 24 national teams, with Algerian forward Yacine Brahimi praising the event as a crucial development for Algerian football and the broader African continent.
"The FIFA Series has allowed us to highlight Algerian football and our infrastructural capabilities, while also challenging us with diverse playing styles from teams like those from South America and South Africa,"
Brahimi noted, emphasizing the benefits of such cross-continental encounters.
This series facilitated matchups between four national teams from different confederations in a single host country, offering a varied and enriching football experience. Among the contenders, Croatia, ranked 10th globally, was the highest-ranked participant, while Sri Lanka, positioned 204th, was the lowest, illustrating the wide spectrum of talent and competition present in the series.
Aiming to bolster the development of national teams with limited exposure to international football outside their continents, the FIFA Series also provided financial support for travel expenses for some teams. This edition featured nine African teams competing across five countries over three continents, underscoring FIFA's commitment to expanding the football landscape.
Looking ahead, the next FIFA Series, slated for March 2026, aims to include teams of higher rankings, further elevating the competitive standard. This initiative aligns with FIFA President Gianni Infantino's vision, unveiled during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, to enhance the quality of football in regions beyond the traditional strongholds of Europe and South America and to cultivate more competitive World Cup tournaments.