FIFA President Gianni Infantino has met the President of Mongolia, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with senior government officials to develop a new national stadium “that will be the pride of Mongolia”. Mr Infantino was joined by Mongolian Football Federation (MFF) President Anandbazar Tsogt-Ochir and Asian Football Confederation Vice President and former MFF President Ganbaatar Amgalanbaatar as they met Mongolia’s President in the capital, Ulaanbaatar.

“It was also an absolute honour to meet the President of Mongolia, His Excellency Mr Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, to discuss our shared vision for the sport, and my sincere gratitude to Mongolian Football Federation President Anandbazar Tsogt-Ochir, AFC Vice-President and Member of Parliament Ganbaatar ‘Ganbi’ Amgalanbaatar, and everyone who made this special visit so unforgettable,” said Mr Infantino.

The FIFA President also met Prime Minister Uchral Nyam-Osor and Minister of Finance Zagdjav Mendsaikhan as FIFA and the MFF joined the national government in signing what the Mr Infantino called a “historic” Memorandum of Understanding.

“A tri-party agreement to develop the project of a new, beautiful national stadium. A stadium that will be a jewel, that will be the pride of Mongolia,” said Mr Infantino. “A national stadium today is much more than a place where you play football. It is a symbol of a country like Mongolia, who wants to invest in their youth, in their girls, in their boys, who wants to invest in its future, and the stadium symbolises all of that. It is visible, it is seen everywhere in the world, and from a FIFA perspective, we are proud to team up with the government and the federation to make this ambitious project happen.”

Via its FIFA Forward Programme, FIFA has already made a significant contribution to literally reshaping Mongolia’s football landscape in a country where the harsh winter conditions make playing football outside all but impossible between November and March each year. The innovative Air Dome was opened in April 2023 at the MFF’s National Technical Centre, two of the FIFA Member Association’s nine FIFA Forward projects that have received almost USD 4.66 million in funding. Mr Infantino visited the facility where he was met by members of Mongolia’s boys U-15 team, who are preparing to take part in this month’s first FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival™.

“Seeing these young athletes train on pitches developed through the FIFA Forward Programme highlights how our targeted investments continue to build vital infrastructure for the future of the game. Meeting them and hearing about their ambitions is a wonderful reminder of why we must keep creating opportunities for every aspiring footballer,” said Mr Infantino, who first visited Mongolia in October 2019.

“My sincere thanks go to everyone at the Mongolian Football Federation, including the Executive Committee members, alongside representatives from the 21 provincial member associations and 24 member clubs who joined us today to support these youngsters on their journey to the world stage.”

The FIFA delegation, including FIFA Chief Member Associations Officer Elkhan Mammadov, also met children at School No 33 where Mr Infantino and Mr Tsogt-Ochir officially opened the first FIFA Arena mini-pitch in the country, and handed out free pairs of football boots as part of FIFA’s Boots for All project.

The mini-pitch – one of at least 1,000 projected to be established globally by 2031 – will benefit the school’s more than 3,000 pupils and will supplement the FIFA Football for Schools programme, which launched across Mongolia in 2022.

“These wonderful projects reflect our shared vision to develop infrastructure and provide necessary equipment for children with a football dream, ensuring they have a safe and secure environment to play the game they love,” added Mr Infantino. “I was truly delighted to see the excitement of young girls and boys receiving boots and stepping onto the pitch.”