FIFA has announced apparel for the FIFA Football for Schools programme sourced from members of the Cotton-4 plus (C4+) countries will be available by the end of 2025 as part of its commitment to promote economic inclusion in developing countries.
At the latest meeting of the Steering Committee of the “Partenariat pour le Coton” (Partnership for Cotton) – an initiative within the FIFA and World Trade Organization (WTO) partnership – it was confirmed world football’s governing body was taking the next step to fulfil the pledge made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in February 2024 to provide apparel sourced from the C4+ countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and observer member Côte d’Ivoire.
T-shirts and polo shirts produced entirely in C4+ countries will be distributed to children and Physical Education teachers globally by the end of the year within the framework of FIFA Football for Schools, FIFA Senior International Relations & Public Affairs Manager Céline Zigaul told delegates attending the two-day meeting in Cairo, Egypt. Launched in 2019 and supported by UNESCO, FIFA Football for Schools has been implemented in 129 FIFA Member Associations (as of January 2025) worldwide, and is present in all six confederations. Almost 4,300 coach educators have been trained as part of the initiative, which aims to integrate football as a learning tool within the existing education system of each participating country.
The cotton produced in the C4+ countries is among the most sustainable in the world but has largely been exported as a raw material rather than as a finished product until now. With over 10 million livelihoods depending on cotton in the C4+ region, supporting these countries – together with other members of the ‘Partenariat pour le Coton’ – in becoming key players in the global textile value chain can make a meaningful contribution to improving living standards and promoting sustainable development.
