Singapore could host Fifa youth competition, says world football chief Gianni Infantino

SINGAPORE – A Fifa youth tournament, potentially a festival for Under-15s, could be held in Singapore in the future, while the Lions could participate in the cross-confederation Fifa Series friendly tournament in 2026.

These ideas emerged at a meeting between Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Forrest Li during the June 19-21 Fifa executive football summit in Miami, one of the host cities of the ongoing Club World Cup in the United States.

Infantino confirmed they had conversations about the two competitions, telling the Fifa website on June 21: “FAS president Forrest Li and I had a constructive discussion in Miami on how we can continue collaborating to take football forward in his beautiful country.

“When I visited Singapore in 2021, I felt the great passion people in the country have for football, and it reflected in the work being done to grow the game.

“Fifa has an established, fruitful relationship with the FAS through Fifa Forward and Fifa Football for Schools, and I offered Fifa’s full support to president Li and his team while congratulating him on his recent election.”

As early as 2013, Singapore had expressed its desire to host the Youth World Cup. In 2023, the FAS signed a letter of intent to discuss and consider co-hosting with Indonesia the Under-20 World Cup in 2025 and the Under-17 World Cup between 2025 and 2029.

Indonesia had won the hosting rights for the 2023 Under-20 World Cup, but lost them after it opposed Israel’s participation in the tournament. It eventually held the Under-17 World Cup in the same year.

Li told the Fifa website that he and Infantino had “talked about the summer – new initiatives from Fifa about the Fifa Series and also the concept of a Fifa festival for Under-15s”.

He added: “I think that’s a great initiative to get more (Fifa member associations) involved and to help the players feel included and get the chance to experience the best of Fifa’s football experience.”

When contacted, FAS deputy president Desmond Ong said it would be “an honour for Singapore to host an international youth football tournament of such magnitude”.

He added: “We will need to do our due diligence and feasibility tests. We first need to get the infrastructure right, and we are moving in the right direction with the upcoming regional hubs in Punggol and Toa Payoh, as well as the recent news of pitch replacements.”

Li and Infantino also discussed the Lions’ potential participation in the Fifa Series, a biennial international tournament featuring friendlies between teams from various continents and held in different countries.

Croatia emerged champions of the pilot edition in 2024, and the next edition is slated for the March international window in 2026. It remains to be seen if the Lions can feature in the Fifa Series as they will host Bangladesh in their final Asian Cup Group C qualifier on March 31.

Putting aside the possible conflict in schedule, national skipper Hariss Harun felt playing in the Fifa Series would benefit the national team.

He said: “As a national team player, it is always good when we can pit ourselves against stronger teams to see where we stand. It would be a great opportunity to take on teams from around the world with different styles of play we otherwise would not have the chance to play against.”

While in Miami, Li also said that the ongoing Club World Cup, an expanded edition featuring 32 teams, is a “great initiative”.

“Finally we see a lot of excitement… and you see the best clubs from different continents finally playing together. So, this is great,” said Li, who is also chairman of Singapore Premier League and Singapore Cup champions Lion City Sailors, who made local football history by finishing as Asian Football Confederation Champions League Two runners-up last season.