FIFA gives special rights to Indonesia in new tournament

(Dan Tri) - FIFA has just officially announced that Indonesia and Thailand will host the FIFA Series 2026, a tournament considered a "low-level World Cup", the event is expected to take place in March and April next year.

The FIFA Series is the successor to the FIFA World Series. It is a biennial football tournament that pits national teams from different confederations against each other during FIFA Days (national team gatherings on the FIFA calendar).

Indonesia is one of the host countries of the 2026 FIFA Series (Photo: Getty).

Normally, FIFA invites many teams from lower-level football backgrounds to participate in this tournament, giving them the opportunity to compete with many different teams in the world (including strong teams like Croatia). Therefore, this tournament is still considered as a "low-level World Cup".

The tournament will be held for the first time in 2024, bringing together 24 teams and divided into 6 groups of 4 teams each, along with 6 host countries. The success of the 2024 FIFA World Series has prompted FIFA to decide to continue organizing the FIFA Series in 2026 for both men's and women's teams.

Last night, FIFA announced that Indonesia was selected as the host of one of the eight groups of the 2026 FIFA World Series along with Australia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Puerto Rico, Rwanda and Uzbekistan.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino shared on the FIFA homepage: “The FIFA Series aims to expand development opportunities for players, coaches and fans, while promoting unity and diversity in football through meaningful matches.

FIFA Series is a new tournament that will be held in March and April next year (Photo: FIFA).

By connecting nations through competition, the FIFA Series hopes to strengthen the growth of the sport at all levels, bringing local football communities closer to the global stage.”

According to FIFA, although many countries expressed their desire to host, the organization has selected venues that fully meet the standards. "The FIFA Series for men's football will be held in Australia, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Puerto Rico, Rwanda and Uzbekistan," the statement said.

In women's football, the FIFA Series will make its debut next year, with three host nations including Brazil, Ivory Coast and Thailand.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/fifa-trao-quyen-dac-biet-cho-indonesia-o-giai-dau-moi-la-20251122002654651.htm