Refreshed with new seating, changing rooms, hydraulic and electrical systems and more thanks to funding from the FIFA Forward Programme, Havana’s venerable La Polar Stadium is now a “symbol of pride” that “creates hope, a future, a dream of becoming a great athlete,” according to Football Association of Cuba (AFC) President Oliet Rodríguez. Rodríguez was one of several dignitaries who celebrated La Polar’s grand reopening on 29 July 2025, a day that marked the end of a welcome, long-term renovation which will transform Cuba’s football landscape. Inaugurated in the 1920s and named after a nearby brewery, the stadium has benefitted from unprecedented FIFA funding over the past decade. An initial phase completed in 2017 included the installation of Cuba’s first synthetic pitch. The second phase featured the enhancements unveiled last month. “One of the main goals was for the stadium to become an engine for the development of domestic football,” President Rodríguez said. “The FIFA Forward project has been a turning point for our organisation.”

Launched in January 2023, FIFA Forward 3.0 is providing unprecedented, bespoke assistance to national Member Associations (MAs) and continental confederations, while supporting the vision of FIFA President Gianni Infantino to increase global opportunity, parity and competitiveness. MAs will receive up to USD 8m each, subject to compliance and oversight, during the four-year cycle. A total of more than USD 2.0m in FIFA Forward funding went towards the recently inaugurated upgrades at La Polar, which is located a short distance southwest of the heart of Havana. The refurbished complex now features air conditioned changing rooms and shower facilities, offices, covered seating and player benches, lighting and hydraulic systems, fencing, and parking and access upgrades. In addition, a solar panelling infrastructure was installed, offering several valuable benefits to the project, especially in the context of sustainability and operational efficiency, reducing energy costs as well as promoting environmental awareness for the local communities. “This is a day of celebration. We find ourselves not just at a stadium, but at a site that stands as a symbol of history, passion and perseverance,” said José Alfonso Rodríguez, the FIFA Lead of the Regional Office based in Panama. Speaking to guests at the unveiling, he added, “Generations of players trained on this ground before proudly pulling on the national shirt. Today, with this reopening, we honour that legacy and open the door to new chapters, to the young players with us today. La Polar is not just cement and grass. It is the living memory of Cuban football, and we hope it continues to be preserved with the same care and dedication.”

FIFA MA Development Manager Sergio Palacios said: “The Cuban Football Association will now have a renovated facility at which to play football – both at national team level, especially youth sides, and also at local and provincial club level. The stadium will allow for the organisation of tournaments and competitions in Havana and at the national level. That is the most important thing. So for us, La Polar is now a major asset for Cuban football.” The young athletes Palacios referenced were present to assist with the local launch of FIFA’s Football for Schools (F4S) initiative, which was commemorated alongside La Polar’s reopening. In collaboration with UNESCO, F4S uses football to promote education, fitness and the development of life skills to students around the world. Palacios said that more than 60 students were in attendance at La Polar and that the AFC intended to work with the Cuban government to expand the programme nationwide. “Football plays a key role in the education of our children. It is an incredibly powerful tool for social development around the world and Cuba is no exception,” he said. La Polar’s revitalisation, along with the implementation of F4S and the 2018-2021 renovation of the Antonio Maceo Stadium in Santiago de Cuba on the country’s southern coast, represent the tangible and transformative change which has been fuelled by FIFA Forward and embraced by the AFC and local authorities. And there is more to come, as Havana’s 30,000-seat Pedro Marrero Stadium is also targeted for redevelopment and expansion, Palacios said.

The goal is to broaden access and opportunity across the country and, eventually, to boost Cuba’s fortunes on the field. Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-finalists in 2013 and 2015, the men’s national side currently sits 166th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. The women’s team, which qualified for the Concacaf W Championship for the first time in 2018, is 91st. “The end of the renovation means way more than having new stands, artificial turf or infrastructure. The work we've done constitutes an investment for the future, an investment for the young generations who dream of becoming football players or who want to play this sport,” Oliet Rodríguez said at La Polar. “The FIFA Forward projects have been a great step forward from FIFA, as it gives every country the opportunity to develop its work, providing the sports associations with infrastructure,” the AFC president added. “Specifically for Cuba, this a very special opportunity. Firstly, because we are at La Polar Stadium, which was the first project of its kind in the country, and finishing it now will give us a top-level facility, which in a way rejuvenates Cuban football.”