Youth football is flourishing in Liberia thanks to several projects which have been supported by FIFA. Stadium renovations have helped make the sport more accessible, and the Liberian Football Association (LFA), which now has its own home, has been able to organise grassroots football leagues for young people for the first time.

In one of the most recent developments, the FIFA Arena project – which aims to build 1,000 pitches around the world by 2031 in less-privileged urban and rural areas – arrived in the West African country in September 2025. More than 3,000 children will benefit from two mini-pitches installed at schools in Paynesville, part of the Greater Monrovia area, as a result of collaboration between FIFA and the LFA.

At the same time, a standard-size, FIFA-approved artificial playing surface at the Gompa Stadium was installed in the north-eastern Nimba county with support of funding from the FIFA Forward Programme. The work also includes major upgrades to the existing stadium, such as the installation of floodlights, an underground sprinkler system, improved fencing, and roofing for spectator stands. The facility hosts various LFA competitions, including grassroots tournaments, as part of the LFA’s broader infrastructure development drive.

Also in 2025, FIFA supported the LFA as it rolled out its Grassroots Football School League at various age levels, which focuses on integrating football into school activities while supporting the overall development of young learners.

“For the first time, we have grassroots leagues in our country running from U-12, U-15 (to) U-17. For the first time, we've seen women's football grow in our country, all through the support, to the [innovative introduction] of the FIFA Forward Programme,” said the LFA President Mustapha Raji. “Our boys and girls in the rural (areas) have a chance to play football.”

There has been a special focus on women’s football, which has been one of the biggest beneficiaries. In December 2025, the LFA hosted a series of Women’s Football Campaigns, notably the development programme in the city of Gbarnga, Bong County, following the official 2025 launch in Montserrado County. The campaign was also rolled out across Margibi, Rivercess, and Sinoe counties. The event was complemented by a Coach Education Scholarship workshop and follows their Capacity Building for Administrators workshops recently hosted in the capital, Monrovia, which featured 60 participants over six days.

The previous August, the LFA conducted a series of workshops for club administrators, licensing officers, secretaries and sub-association officials across six counties, attracting a total of 237 participants, 27 of them female.

Since 2023, the LFA has been based at its new headquarters in the capital, Monrovia, another project fully funded by FIFA Forward and supported through FIFA’s regional office in Dakar, Senegal. It is the first to be owned by the LFA and serves as the home for national teams, as well as providing administrative services, referee and coaching programmes, and sports media training.

FIFA Forward also funded the refurbishment of Liberia’s national stadium, the Stade Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS), with improvements including new floodlights. It can now host night matches across all age groups, including more women’s matches.

The adjoining Samuel K. Doe Stadium (SKD) had one artificial pitch installed, the roof of the grandstand renovated, and the dressing rooms refurbished. The idea being to broaden the appeal of the city’s main football venue, which is home to the local footballing community, and the services it offers.