The Swiss government has partnered with FIFA to provide 120,000 Swiss francs ($149,000) for building two community soccer fields in the West Bank. This initiative aims to restore access to football in the region through the FIFA Arena project. Eight additional mini-pitches are planned for Israel and the Palestinian territories.
On Thursday, November 27, 2025, FIFA announced a collaboration with the Swiss government to fund the construction of two FIFA Arena mini-pitches in the West Bank. The funding, amounting to 120,000 Swiss francs (approximately $149,000), comes from Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. According to FIFA, the money will enable the building of these facilities and support a long-term commitment to restoring access to football across the region.
The FIFA Arena mini-pitches are designed as safe, durable spaces for communities lacking sports access, paired with a dedicated training program for children to foster inclusion and personal development. These two pitches are scheduled to open in 2026. As part of the broader global effort, eight more mini-pitches are planned for installation in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
FIFA's FIFA Arena initiative, launched to build at least 1,000 mini-pitches by 2030, has already opened 30 such fields in 15 countries since March 2025. The organization plans to add pitches in eight more countries within the next three months.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed gratitude in a statement: “FIFA expresses its deep gratitude to the Swiss government for this important contribution and looks forward to continuing this shared effort to restore, rebuild and bring hope — one pitch at a time.”
This announcement follows Infantino's attendance at a global summit on Gaza's future in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, last month, where he committed FIFA to rebuilding all football facilities in Gaza and Palestine. Separately, FIFA is investigating two formal complaints from the Palestinian soccer federation against the Israeli soccer federation, including claims of discrimination related to teams from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. No timetable has been set for the FIFA panels' reports, with the next congress scheduled for April 30, 2026, in Vancouver, Canada.
