FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger told the 75th FIFA Congress in Paraguay FIFA’s drive to develop young players is “unstoppable” and that “we want everybody on board” with the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS).

A cornerstone of FIFA’s Strategic Objectives for the Global Game: 2023-2027, the TDS was launched with the aim of providing every talented girl and boy around the world a pathway to the professional game, regardless of their financial or geographical situation. This enables MAs to unlock their full potential for their national teams.

In December 2022, the FIFA Council allocated USD 200 million to underpin the initiative, which aims to have established 75 high-performance FIFA Talent Academies globally by 2027.

The TDS has been introduced in more than 180 of FIFA’s 211 Member Associations, where over 600 tailor-made projects have been implemented to strengthen their individual talent development pathways for girls and boys. In parallel, 33 FIFA Talent Academies have already been put in place with FIFA-trained coaches tasked with establishing a local network that will ensure top-grade talent identification and training for future generations of national team players.

Mr Wenger told FIFA Congress delegates in the Paraguayan capital, Asunción, that the TDS would continue to expand.

“The world train of youth development has started and is unstoppable, but we want everybody on board and there is still some work to do on that front. I count on you to contribute to that as well. You can count on us because we’ll give absolutely everything to make that dream come true,” the FIFA Chief of Global Football Development said. “(By) the end of 2025, we will have 60 (FIFA Talent) Academies in 60 different countries. At the end of the cycle in 2027, we’ll have 75 (FIFA Talent) Academies in 75 different countries. That means children that we bring in at the age of 12 until 16, and we educate them. We educate them with coaches we put in their country, and our training is based mainly on technical perfection, creativity and education of character that is adapted to every culture that we meet in different countries.” In the run-up to the FIFA Congress, Mr Wenger attended a milestone event at the FIFA Talent Academy established at Paraguay’s elite high-performance centre, CARDIF (Centro de Alto Rendimiento de las Divisiones Formativas).

“In Paraguay, we supported the project of that technical centre, and if you have a chance to go, it’s absolutely amazing what they have done,” said Mr Wenger. “We supported as well the development of young players, where, every day, in that technical centre, they practise with 2,000 players of more than 10 clubs, every day. (In the) morning, 1,000 players, and in the afternoon, 1,000 players. So, it’s absolutely amazing what you can do when you have adapted solutions. Our funding for projects is always down to adapted solutions that fit the country and their needs well.”

He also highlighted that “the success of the development of young talent is (to) find the biggest talents, train the talent with an adequate frequency and play the talent in demanding competitions to play best against best,” and encouraged FIFA Member Association representatives to provide as many opportunities as possible for young players to showcase their skills.

“We see a trend in the world that the biggest five leagues in the world play that the age of players who made their debut is getting younger. . And in the national teams as well, we see more of a trend that the young players get a chance earlier,” he said. “We want to help you to live with this trend and to give every country a similar chance to develop, of course, elite players, but as well the country to compete at the top level.”