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Published on 2024-02-28 02:07:23
Algeria, Bolivia, Andorra, and South Africa have been selected to participate in a new series of friendly matches organized by FIFA in an effort to provide more opportunities for smaller nations to engage in competitive football, as reported by insideworldfootball.com.
The inaugural edition of the ‘FIFA Series’ is scheduled to take place in March, following the proposal of the idea in December 2022. On the eighth anniversary of Infantino’s leadership at FIFA, the global governing body confirmed that the first edition of the FIFA Series will run from March 18 to March 26.
FIFA’s director of European member associations, Elkhan Mammadov, expressed that this initiative presents a valuable chance for member associations that do not regularly have the opportunity to compete against teams from different confederations. In the initial phase of the project, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, and Saudi Arabia have been chosen to host matches involving 20 teams from all six confederations, with Saudi Arabia abstaining due to commitments in the World Cup qualifiers.
While the lineup for the first installment may be seen as modest and unassuming, FIFA aims to expand and establish the FIFA Series as a prominent international event that occurs biennially. Mammadov mentioned that discussions are already underway with high-ranking teams to further elevate the stature of the series.
For the upcoming March edition, FIFA will cover the travel expenses of the participating teams and is actively seeking television broadcasting agreements, as well as welcoming potential new sponsors to come on board. The series intends to provide hosting nations like Saudi Arabia with valuable experience in managing international matches.
Algeria will host matches involving its national team, as well as Bolivia, Andorra, and South Africa. Azerbaijan will see matches with Mongolia, Tanzania, and Bulgaria, while Sri Lanka will host games with Papua New Guinea, Bhutan, and the Central African Republic. Finally, Saudi Arabia will accommodate Group A teams such as Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, and Cambodia, as well as Group B teams including Guinea, Vanuatu, Bermuda, and Brunei.
