Gianni Infantino confirms FIFA Under-15 World Cup plan

Gianni Infantino has confirmed that FIFA is still pursuing a global Under-15 World Cup, despite uncertainty surrounding the project and the wider debate over his plans for the governing body. The proposed event would bring together all 211 FIFA member associations and is intended to become a major youth football festival rather than a conventional tournament.

Infantino said the competition is scheduled to take place for the first time this year. More than 4,000 children would be involved, with the format influenced by baseball’s Little League World Series. The concept is built around large-scale participation and shared activities for young players from across FIFA’s membership.

The confirmation follows the collapse of FIFA Forward Enterprise, a separate initiative that would have allowed private investors to acquire stakes in the organisation’s commercial activities. That proposal was abandoned in early August after attracting strong criticism, including from several major confederations. Discussions with private investors had also taken place over the development and commercialisation of the Under-15 project, which had led to reports that it too had been dropped.

Infantino’s latest position indicates that FIFA continues to pursue the youth competition while the organisation faces scrutiny over its expansion plans. He has framed the project around giving children more opportunities to play, making it his latest major initiative after the abandoned investment structure.