Mini-tournaments boost global team development

DAR ES SALAAM: THE FIFA Series is a global development competition organised by FIFA, designed to give national teams more meaningful international match experience outside traditional tournaments.

The 2026 edition marks the second full staging of the series and runs during the March international window, with matches taking place across several host nations, including African, Asian, European and American federations.

The format is based on small, centralised “mini-tournaments”. Each host country stages groups of four national teams drawn from different football confederations, ensuring that sides from Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas meet in competitive but friendly fixtures.

Each group typically functions as a selfcontained series rather than part of a larger league table.

Teams play two matches within their group, facing opponents they would not normally encounter in standard qualification pathways.

The procedure is structured to maximise development and competitive balance. FIFA works with host member associations to organise logistics, scheduling and match operations.

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Participating teams are supported through travel and accommodation assistance, allowing even lower-ranked nations to take part without excessive financial burden.

The matches are played within a fixed international window, usually over one week, ensuring minimal disruption to club football calendars. Unlike major tournaments, the FIFA Series does not involve qualification rounds, knockout stages across all groups, or a single overall champion.

Instead, each minigroup produces its own standings or match outcomes, depending on the agreed format between participating associations.

Some groups may include a simple round-robin system, while others may use pre-arranged fixtures with ranking determined by results or even penalty shoot-outs if matches end in draws.