FIFA President Gianni Infantino has visited Latvia where he met the team which will represent the country at the inaugural FIFA Under-15 World Cup & Festival™ in October and held discussions with leading authorities including the Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs.

Accompanied by Latvian Football Federation (LFF) President Vadims Ļašenko and Vice-President Olafs Pulks, the FIFA President also attended the inauguration of the new LFF headquarters, - built with support from the FIFA Forward Programme.

During their meeting, Mr Kulbergs and the FIFA President talked about developing football, both around the world and in Latvia, and making it more accessible to young people, as well as its importance in society.

“I was honoured to meet Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs to discuss football's role in society and how FIFA aims to reach every young child with a football dream in his beautiful nation and around the world,” Mr Infantino said. “It was encouraging to have the support of Prime Minister Kulbergs, and his government, for our football development plans, which we will continue implementing together with the Latvian Football Federation, under the able leadership of Vadims Ļašenko. Football belongs to everyone, and our job remains to ensure structures and pathways are in place so that our beautiful game is universally accessible!”

Earlier, Mr Infantino met the Latvian team who are preparing for the first-ever FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, which will be held in Azerbaijan from 24 to 30 October 2026. The new competition offers FIFA Member Associations (MAs) of all sizes, and with varying football traditions, the opportunity to participate in a competition on the global stage. The inaugural edition, involving teams from 190 MAs will pave the way for FIFA to establish the competition as a fixture of the international game, with the first girls’ tournament scheduled for next year.

“This is what it is all about... the excitement and joy of the Latvia team as they prepare for the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026 – they will be part of history while gaining invaluable international exposure in meaningful, competitive games,” the FIFA President said. “I had the chance to interact with the young prospects and it made me very happy to see their smiles. FIFA is about creating opportunities across all levels, everywhere in the world and we are proud to be able to facilitate this special tournament for children!”

Earlier, the FIFA President also met the Mayor of Riga, Viesturs Kleinbergs, at Riga City Hall. “Thank you for the warm welcome to beautiful Latvia, and for sharing such an inspiring conversation about uniting our communities through sport,” Mr Infantino said.

The development of football infrastructure – including a possible national stadium – and the economic contribution of major international sports events to Latvia were discussed with the Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis, who expressed Latvia’s ambitions to host FIFA tournaments in the future.

“If we want to regularly host top-level international sporting events in Latvia, we need appropriate infrastructure. At the same time, the stadium must be economically viable and usable not only for football, but also for other sports, cultural and international events,” Mr Valainis said.

The LFF took an important step towards improving its infrastructure with the opening of the new headquarters which was supported by FIFA Forward.

“I am very proud that FIFA supported this wonderful project through the FIFA Forward Programme, helping provide a modern home that will drive the continued development of football across the country,” the FIFA President said after the ceremony.

“My thanks to Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs for attending this historic occasion which will shape our shared vision for the future of our sport.”