FIFA Series
| Organiser(s) | FIFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2024 |
| Region | International |
| Teams | Various |
| Website | Official website |
| 2026 FIFA Series (men's matches) 2026 FIFA Series (women's matches) | |
The FIFA Series is a biennial invitational football tournament promoted by FIFA that features international friendlies between national teams from different confederations, taking place in March of every even-numbered year. The first edition was held in March 2024.
The tournament brings together men's national teams (since 2024) and women's national teams (since 2026) from all six FIFA confederations in a series of mini-tournaments, each consisting of four teams and held at a centralised venue during the FIFA match window in March of every even-numbered year.[1][2] FIFA provides financial support to the participating national teams and is also in charge of organising the tournaments together with the host member association.[3]
History
On 16 December 2022, FIFA launched a friendly tournament proposal, named the "FIFA World Series", in order to give national teams from different confederations more opportunities to play against each other.[1][4][5] FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed the tournament on 16 March 2023, following his re-election to the post during the 73rd FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda.[3]
The inaugural edition in 2024, for men's national teams only, acted as a pilot phase for the tournament and was originally going to feature 5 series of 4 teams each to be held in 4 host countries during the FIFA match window from 18 to 26 March 2024.[6][2] Eventually the FIFA Series: Egypt was added for a total of 6 series and 24 teams in the inaugural edition.[7]
Following the success of the pilot phase a second edition in 2026 was announced in May 2024.[8][9] In November, 2025 FIFA announced that at least 8 associations would host games of the expanded tournament, as well as the debut of participation of women's national teams, held across 3 locations.[10][11]
Hosts
Men's
| Year | Hosts | No. of series | No. of teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
|
6 | 24 |
| 2026 |
|
8 | 36 |
Women's
| Year | Hosts | No. of series | No. of teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 16 |
Team results by tournament
- Legend
- 1st – Champions
- 2nd – Runners-up
- 3rd – Third place
- 4th – Fourth place
- — Hosts
- Q – Qualified for upcoming edition (invited)
- × – Did not enter
- × – Withdrew after being announced
Men's competition
Women's competition
| Team | 2026 | Years |
|---|---|---|
| AFC | ||
| Australia | Q | 1 |
| India | Q | 1 |
| Nepal | Q | 1 |
| Pakistan | Q | 1 |
| South Korea | Q | 1 |
| Thailand | Q | 1 |
| CAF | ||
| DR Congo | Q | 1 |
| Ivory Coast | Q | 1 |
| Mauritania | Q | 1 |
| Malawi | Q | 1 |
| Kenya | Q | 1 |
| Zambia | Q | 1 |
| CONCACAF | ||
| Canada | Q | 1 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Q | 1 |
| CONMEBOL | ||
| Brazil | Q | 1 |
| OFC | ||
| New Caledonia | Q | 1 |
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b "FIFA World Cup 2022™ praised for its "unique cohesive power"" (in Spanish). FIFA. 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Qué es la FIFA Series, la competencia que contará con amistosos exóticos entre selecciones" [What is the FIFA Series, the tournament that will feature exotic friendlies between national teams?] (in Spanish). Olé. 17 February 2024.
- ^ a b "2023-2027: FIFA President lays out objectives for the future". FIFA. 16 March 2023.
- ^ Smith, Alan (16 December 2022). "New FIFA World Series and how it could work as Gianni Infantino outlines new tournament plans". www.mirror.co.uk. Daily Mirror.
- ^ Sengupta, Ayon (16 December 2022). "FIFA to launch biennial 'FIFA World Series' for inter-confederation matches: President Infantino". sportstar.thehindu.com. Doha: Sportstar.
- ^ "FIFA Series international friendlies pilot project to commence in March 2024". FIFA. 26 February 2024.
- ^ "Egypt announced as host as FIFA Series pilot phase expanded". FIFA. 19 March 2024.
- ^ "Gianni Infantino emphasises FIFA's mission to grow football globally in FIFA Congress address". FIFA. 17 May 2024.
- ^ "FIFA President's Address | Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand Friday, 17 May 2024" (PDF). FIFA. 17 May 2024.
- ^ "FIFA confirms expanded FIFA Series 2026™ for men's and women's national teams". FIFA. 21 November 2025.
- ^ "'FIFA Series' for smaller nations to expand in 2026 and add women's edition". Reuters. 21 November 2025.