FIFA is ready to try new things, this time turning its focus on international friendly windows, given the tight schedule in world soccer currently. The new competitions will be titled the FIFA Series and will have a test run in March of 2024; the idea is to have it expand worldwide in 2026.
The pilot run will be played in four countries in March, “Currently we have 20 teams for the pilot edition. For the 2026 edition we hope to have many more” stated Elkhan Mammadov, FIFA’s Regional Member Associations Director for Europe.
FIFA will not offer any prize money or give any trophies for this new series of matches, rather the national teams involved in the FIFA Series will have the chance to play opponents from other confederations as FIFA will cover the travel costs.
Who will participate in the FIFA Series pilot project?
The countries participating in the pilot project for March are broken down in the following manner:
ALGERIA
Teams: Algeria, Bolivia, Andorra, South Africa
AZERBAIJAN
Teams: Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Tanzania, Bulgaria
SRI LANKA
Teams: Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Bhutan, Central African Republic
SAUDI ARABIA
Group A: Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, Cambodia
Group B: Guinea, Vanuatu, Bermuda, Brunei
“We’ve started discussions with high-ranked teams, and they hope to play and even host the next edition in March 2026. There is interest to host,” Kenny Jean-Marie, FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer stated.