FIFA and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs recently announced a joint effort to open two mini football pitches in West Bank in 2026. The initiative is aimed at supporting a broader, long-term commitment to restoring access to football across the region. The objective is to eventually install eight more mini-pitches in Palestine and Israel.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had earlier reaffirmed the role that football plays in giving hope, fostering unity and helping communities to rebuild and said the world football body would help rebuild all football facilities in Gaza and Palestine.
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The initial two pitches will be paired with a training programme for children, creating safe spaces for play that foster inclusion and personal development. The initiative is a message of solidarity and relies on football’s ability to unite communities, even in the most challenging contexts.
It is a part of FIFA’s Arena initiative launched earlier this year. It is a commitment to deliver at least 1,000 mini-pitches by 2030. Since March 2025, 30 mini-pitches have been inaugurated in 15 countries, with plans for pitches to be opened in eight more nations in the next three months. To date, 59 member associations have signed up. The mini-pitches are made with safety and durability as the primary focus. And, alongside the pitches, FIFA also supplies balls, bibs and training materials to ensure that pitches, especially in areas hit by conflict, is able to support activities from day one.
The merit behind the idea is well established. It is an effective PR exercise for FIFA, giving it a beyond-football image and goodwill. But, it is also a sound investment in the future of the game that it manages and monetises. The best example of the returns that such investment can bring is now visible in Africa—a thriving ecosystem for the sport and a growing number of international superstars.
The FIFA Arena programme is basically a streamlined version of its older outreach programmes. It has already served as a catalyst for broader improvements in school and community facilities as governments and local partners have made good use of the opportunity to enhance educational infrastructure, encourage school attendance and stimulate local economic activity tied to construction and maintenance.
To understand how such initiatives by FIFA can help in Palestine, we only need to look at a few other FIFA projects.
With regard to Kosovo, for example, even its admission to FIFA was politicised as a result of its disputed national status. But, FIFA’s involvement in the ‘country’ (partial diplomatic recognition) in southeast Europe goes beyond just infrastructure; it deals with identity and the integration of divided communities. The West Bank project aims to serve both Palestine and Israel initially. So, it would require an extreme level of neutrality and diplomatic sensitivity to ensure the infrastructure is seen as a unifying, non-partisan asset. Thanks to Kosovo, and many other projects over the years, FIFA has experience functioning effectively in highly politicised or stressed environments. Even so, West Bank might prove to be the ultimate test.
FIFA’s Afghanistan project is also relevant as it highlights the preparedness to work in high-risk zones, rebuild infrastructure destroyed by conflict and to promote gender inclusion. The Afghan experience demonstrates the sheer logistical management and resilience required to implement and maintain sports infrastructure in a high-security area. At West Bank, the project is less about money and more about the courage and planning needed to ensure the materials arrive and construction is completed safely. It also reinforces the mission to provide safe spaces where the daily reality of instability is temporarily suspended.
In Lebanon and Syria, FIFA’s involvement has supported displaced communities by using football as a form of psychosocial support and community integration. The aim in West Bank, too, is fundamentally humanitarian—providing hope for communities and personal development for children. Football can provide a space of normality and routine in a place where little else is stable. The pitches thereby become a mental safe zone.
FIFA’s critics say it is institutionally corrupt and morally bankrupt; that it can only be trusted to serve its own self interest. However, even if such allegations are true, this is an instance in which self interest aligns with social good. These outreach projects are as important to FIFA as they are to the beneficiaries.
