The Football Association, the Kyrgyz Football Union and the Football Association of Thailand receive Gold Awards for development projects funded by FIFA Forward
Awards ceremony held in the margins of the FIFA Executive Football Summits in Miami, United States, during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™
Projects in Bahrain, Singapore, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also recognised in first FIFA Forward Awards for FIFA’s Asian Member Associations
The Football Association (FA), the Kyrgyz Football Union (KFU) and the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) are among the latest FIFA Member Associations (MAs) to receive FIFA Forward Gold Awards for the implementation of development projects funded by the programme.
Currently in its third cycle that runs through to 2027, FIFA Forward will provide each MA with up to USD 8 million to fund development projects. The FIFA Forward Awards were introduced in 2023 to recognise the capacity-building work of European MAs with the funding they receive, and they have now been extended to MAs from Asia and Oceania to recognise their work in developing infrastructure.
The new KFU headquarters was opened by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in May 2023 and offers modern training and education facilities, including two artificial pitches and team accommodation. It was one of the stand-out projects that received the Gold Award.
The KFU were joined in taking the top honours for 2025 by fellow AFC members Thailand. The FAT’s House of Thai Football – constructed with the help of USD 2.4 million in FIFA Forward funding – saw President “Madame Pang” Nualphan Lamsam receive the Gold Award from the FIFA President following the third and final session of the FIFA Executive Football Summits held during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. Both Presidents had inaugurated the state-of-the-art facility, which features South East Asia’s first video assistant referee room, a futsal court, and athlete amenities, in the Thai capital, Bangkok, in May 2024.
The FA scooped the 2025 Gold Award for European MAs thanks to its Wildcats programme, which was established with the support of FIFA Forward. Aimed at introducing girls aged five to 11 to football, it helped create 6,000 new girls teams by 2020 and continues to grow the grassroots women’s game in England through its Wildcats Centres.
The Bahrain Football Association’s National Performance Centre won the Silver Award with the Uzbekistan Football Association’s National Teams Training Centre also claiming the same prize.
The Tajikistan Football Federation’s National Teams Training Centre and the Football Association of Singapore's renovated headquarters and Jalan Besar Stadium earned both AFC members Bronze Awards.