Goal 6. Focus on social responsibilities, in particular human rights and climate-related aspects

The momentum of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 being followed by five billion people around the world has been maintained and built upon during President Infantino’s current mandate as the organisation has strengthened relationships with a wide range of global partners to ensure football continues to advocate and advance causes to serve society and make a brighter future for generations to come.

Two years after the greatest FIFA World Cup ever came to a thrilling and dramatic conclusion at Lusail Stadium, the tournament’s Legacy Fund was taken “to a completely new and different level”, as the FIFA President described it. An investment of USD 50 million was made in a series of social programmes in collaboration with Qatar and three global organisations, namely the World Health Organization (WHO), World Trade Organization (WTO) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The objective of this fund and the multi-level stakeholder partnership is to help FIFA deliver lasting impact from the tournament far beyond the pitch and to leverage football’s popularity and platform to drive positive social change and developmental impacts worldwide. The groundbreaking initiative comprises three pillars: refugees, public health and occupational health, and safety and education.

In parallel, and as we have seen in the review of Goal 5, Aspire Academy and the FIFA Talent Development Scheme – led by Arsène Wenger – will collaborate in identifying promising young talents in remote areas in a dedicated number of developing countries, with the objective of giving more talent around the world a chance to shine.

Following the successful FIFA World Cup, Qatar has served as the host of the FIFA U-17 World Cup™, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup™ and the FIFA Arab Cup™, confirming the lasting legacy of the 2022 event from an infrastructure perspective.

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 broke new ground on the pitch, and its Legacy Fund hopes to do the same off it. The FIFA President announced a contribution of USD 11 million to be spread across the tournament’s 11 host cities to build mini-pitches and support social projects to drive football and foster community across the United States.

FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) was also a significant player at the 32-club tournament in the US. Launched at the FIFA World Cup 2022 following research that highlighted the increased risk of receiving online abuse while representing your national team, it is now a permanent feature of all FIFA events and tournaments. It monitored 2,401 active accounts across five social media platforms covering players, coaches, teams and match officials participating at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Some 5.9 million posts were analysed, 179,517 were flagged for review and 20,587 were reported to the relevant platforms. The SMPS is also now available to all official accounts connected to FIFA’s 211 MAs.

Abuse takes many forms and, at the 74th FIFA Congress in Thailand, FIFA MAs joined a host of FIFA Legends in rising in unity in support of strengthened anti-racism measures in football. FIFA Legends Emmanuel Adebayor and Iván Córdoba, United States Women’s National Team player Mia Fishel, Thai international Kanjana Sungngoen and FIFA World Cup 2018™ winner and FIFA Legend Blaise Matuidi all took to the stage in Bangkok to explain the five major tenets of the wide-ranging initiative: 1) racism is a specific offence with mandatory inclusion in the individual Disciplinary Codes of all 211 MAs, and given specific and severe sanctions, such as match forfeits; 2) the introduction of a global standard gesture for players to communicate racist incidents, and for referees to signal the implementation of the three-step procedure; 3) a push for racism to be recognised as a criminal offence in every country in the world with appropriate punishments for transgressors; 4) the promotion of educational initiatives together with schools and governments; 5) and the establishment of a new panel to oversee progress and advise on the implementation of each pillar. That came into being in September 2025 as the 16-member Players’ Voice Panel (PVP), comprising former players from 14 MAs and all six confederations. Headed by honorary captain and FIFA Legend George Weah, the PVP gathered physically for the first time for a two-day session in Rabat, Morocco, in November 2025.

The launch of the Suspect and Protect campaign in September 2024 – in tandem with the WHO – was another major step forward for player well-being. The programme was the fruit of discussions of The International Football Association Board (IFAB), and focuses on raising awareness of the issue within football through guidance and educational tools.

Protection of football’s many and varied global protagonists was at the forefront of the establishing of the Safe Football Support Unit (SFSU) by the FIFA Foundation, announced in December 2024. The unit offers specialist guidance and support to victims of violence (including physical, sexual and psychological harassment and abuse) led by an independent panel supported by special advisors and a Survivors Advisory Group, and works towards ensuring that safeguarding is implemented across the sport to protect vulnerable individuals. The creation of the SFSU, the first body of its kind within the international football fraternity, came after a global consultation process involving more than 230 stakeholders.

Following the FIFA Council meeting held in October 2025, President Infantino said: “FIFA will continue to invite all stakeholders interested in a meaningful dialogue to protect players, to find the right balance between club and national team football at global level, and to improve football for the future,”

The biggest and most far-reaching initiative of the FIFA Foundation is its Community Programme (FFCP), which operates alongside local projects around the world that use the power of football to effect positive social change. A record 139 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including 58 that were participating for the first time, from 57 countries across six continents were accepted onto the programme for the 2025-26 funding period. It means each NGO can apply for up to USD 30,000 to help support football-related projects and initiatives within the communities in which they operate.

Through the World Football Remission Fund, the FIFA Foundation continues to fund numerous initiatives across the world, including youth programmes and camps, education, coaching and refereeing, community outreach, women’s football, adaptive football, safeguarding and infrastructure and relief projects. For example, the FIFA Foundation’s Digital Education Programme in Belize, Mauritania, Paraguay and most recently Bhutan gives schoolchildren the opportunity to improve their IT skills. The FIFA Foundation and the Twinning Project, meanwhile, announced in January 2026 an innovative prisoner rehabilitation program in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Singapore, and Uruguay. It pairs professional football clubs in each country, Melbourne City FC (Australia), Bahia (Brazil), Auckland FC (New Zealand), Young Lions (Singapore), and Montevideo City Torque (Uruguay), with nearby correctional facilities with the aim of reducing reoffending rates by providing inmates with structured coaching, education, and pathways to employment upon release.

FIFA’s unwavering commitment to improving lives around the world saw President Infantino sign in August 2024 a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support the Homeless World Cup Foundation (HWCF), which organises the annual women’s and men’s tournaments aimed at supporting and inspiring homeless people to change their lives. As part of the MoU, FIFA and HWCF jointly broadcast the event on FIFA+, and FIFA supplies material and equipment, including medals and trophies. After the MoU came into effect for the 2024 tournament in Seoul, Korea Republic, it supported 63 teams from 48 nations at the 2025 edition in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

The FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025 staged in Morocco in October 2025 was a major step forward for a long-term FIFA project. Following FIFA Council approval in May 2025 of the formation of an Afghan women’s team as part of the FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football, a selection process was established and financed by FIFA through three training camps, one based in Australia, the other two located in England. The initiative moved to the next level when the 23-player squad – comprising 14 players based in Australia, five from the United Kingdom, and two each from Italy and Portugal – played their first international match as Afghan Women United in the historic four-team tournament that also featured Chad, Libya and Tunisia. “We are profoundly grateful that FIFA gave us this opportunity and this privilege to represent what women are capable of,” said Afghan Women United captain Fatima Haidari. It was not only of benefit to the Afghan players either: after playing in the competition, champions Chad and Libya featured in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking for the first time.

These Strategic Objectives also offer the framework for football to respond to society in times of need. The FIFA Foundation’s Recovery Programme has been used to repair sporting infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, its Refugee Programme has improved the lives of refugees in Malawi through both classroom-based and practical football sessions, and a Memorandum of Understanding was reached with the Fondazione Paolo Rossi through the FIFA Foundation Humanitarian Fund, dedicated to the provision of relief in emergencies due to natural and human-made disasters.

It was with that goal that, in November 2024, FIFA renewed its Memorandum of Understanding with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on the sidelines of the United Nations COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. It extends the collaboration on combatting climate change that had started with the first agreement, signed on the day of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final Draw, and widens its remit to explore the promotion of gender equality through women’s football, as well as football as a key tenet of educational programmes.

The ‘Partenariat pour le Coton’ (Partnership for Cotton) – an initiative within the FIFA and WTO partnership – has also continued to make progress. In May 2025, FIFA announced T-shirts and polo shirts produced entirely in C4+ countries would be distributed to children and Physical Education teachers globally by the end of 2025 within the framework of the FIFA Football for Schools programme. This step has the potential to change millions of lives in the C4+ region that includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and observer member Côte d’Ivoire.

In December 2025, the FIFA Council approved the establishment of a post-conflict recovery fund. This follows the announcement made by President Infantino at the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace on 13 October 2025 that FIFA intended to create a support mechanism for regions that have experienced conflict. This financial instrument, which will be open to third-party contributions and be subject to strict oversight, will complement action already implemented under the FIFA Forward Programme and other FIFA initiatives. Aligned with this step, FIFA joined forces with the Swiss government in November 2025 toannounce the opening of two FIFA Arena mini-pitches in the West Bank in 2026.

FIFA is committed, through its Statutes, to upholding, protecting and respecting all internationally recognised human rights through its activities and will continue to partner with international and regional organisations and public bodies to address and contribute to relevant social issues to best leverage football’s sizeable platform.