World soccer governing body, FIFA, launched on Tuesday, the first-ever FIFA Talent Academy in Africa in Nouakchott, Mauritania, towards the unearthing of talents and development of the game in the country.

The academy, situated at the headquarters of the Mauritania Football Federation (FFRIM), underlines Mauritania's pioneering efforts and status in global football as well as being a prime example of an institution that has gone from strength to strength under the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS).

The TDS, led by FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger, was launched in 2022 with the aim of helping MA’s to fulfil their potential by ensuring that every talented player has a chance to be detected and developed. It also seeks to enforce measures taken to reduce the disparity in the level of football between different regions of the world.

At a well-attended event graced by the presence of senior FIFA and CAF officials, including FIFA Chief Football Officer, Jill Ellis, FIFA Director of Global Football Development, Steven Martens, FIFA Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer and Regional Director Africa, Gelson Fernandes, CAF General Secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba and over 30 Africa MA presidents, Mauritania thus become the first MA on the continent to receive the prestigious FIFA Talent Academy certification, in recognition of the outstanding work by FFRIM as far as meeting the established criteria is concerned.

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino said: “This is a great day for football in Mauritania, a country passionate about our beautiful game which is making tremendous strides to grow and develop the sport each day. The opening of the FIFA Talent Academy in Mauritania is a hugely significant moment for young players in this country.”

“The ultimate objectives of FIFA Talent Academies are to develop young players by providing them with the highest levels of training, education and development to help them reach their full potential, contributing to the overall growth of football in the country,” added FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger.

The objective of the FIFA Talent Academy amongst others is to develop the best players, act as a role model for the Federation and also create a sustainable football ecosystem towards establishing a long-term, structured pathway for talent development.

To date, FIFA has 24 academies globally, a huge step towards the bigger plan of 75 elite FIFA Talent academies by the end of 2027. FIFA deploys dedicated talent coaches globally to establish academies with best-practice training environments for young players of all genders.

On his part, FFRIM President, Ahmed Yahya said: “Today is a historic moment for Mauritanian football. The opening of this FIFA Talent Academy here in Mauritania reflects FIFA's confidence in our commitment to the development of football. This investment in training our young talents marks a decisive step towards a more ambitious future for our federation."

In a related development, FIFA also laid the foundation stone for extension works of the Cheikha Boidiya Stadium, a project funded thanks to the FIFA Forward Program.

With a current capacity of 8,000, the objective of the extension, courtesy of FIFA with a budget of nearly $2.9 million USD, will increase the capacity to a 16,000-seater stadium to accommodate the growing number of football fans in Mauritania.

The stadium was previously upgraded in 2018, with the installation of seats, modernized changing rooms and a media room.

FIFA President Infantino said: “We hope this stadium will become of source of inspiration for boys and girls from the FIFA Talent Academy who could one day wear proudly the national team jersey. This project is a crucial step in improving football infrastructure and fostering the sport’s continued development in Mauritania and it is exactly the type of project we envisaged when the FIFA Forward Programme was introduced in 2016.”

"Today marks a milestone in the journey of Mauritanian football—a true celebration of the nation's passion for the game. Thanks to the FIFA Forward program, we have officially launched the renovation of the Cheikha Boidiya Stadium, expanding its capacity to 16,000 seats. This key infrastructure project is a testament to FIFA’s commitment to the growth and development of football in Mauritania. We are proud to stand alongside the Mauritanian Football Federation in shaping a bright future for the sport in the country,” added FIFA Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer, Regional Director Africa, Gelson Fernandes.

The FIFA Forward is the largest and biggest sports development programme in the world. It was created in 2016 to redistribute FIFA's revenues equally among 211 MAs.

The five main areas where funds are used include Infrastructure, Capacity building, Competitions, National teams and subventions as well as specific projects depending on the needs of the respective MA. In line with its strategy to make football truly global, by the end of 2026 FIFA will have invested a record-breaking figure of USD 5 billion in football.