FIFA President Discusses Building 25,000-Seat Stadium in Gaza at Board of Peace Summit
FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended the inaugural Board of Peace (BoP) Summit held in Washington DC on Thursday, 19 February 2026.
At the forum, which was also attended by dozens of heads of state including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Infantino announced a partnership between FIFA and the BoP to build football infrastructure in the Gaza Strip as part of reconstruction efforts through sport.
In his statement, Infantino described football as a universal language capable of uniting billions of people worldwide. He stressed that sport plays a vital role in rebuilding hope and togetherness amid conflict.
“First point: football, or soccer as it’s called here, is the universal language of the world. This language is used by six billion people, six billion fans who share the same feelings,” Infantino said at the meeting.
He added that football is not merely a game but a symbol of hope, joy and unity.
“This is about hope, about joy, about happiness. This is about togetherness and about uniting the world. We will unite the world here this summer during the World Cup,” he said.
Infantino also emphasised the importance of peace as the foundation of global unity. On the occasion, he announced a “true partnership between the Board of Peace and FIFA” to realise a project to build a football ecosystem in the Gaza Strip.
According to him, FIFA’s contribution is not solely focused on physical construction. “We must also rebuild and build people, emotions, hope and trust. And that is the meaning of football, my sport,” Infantino said.
Through a promotional video screened at the forum, it was explained that the project encompasses the construction of 50 FIFA Arena mini-pitches at an estimated cost of US$50,000 per unit, totalling approximately US$2.5 million. In addition, the construction of five full-sized pitches across five different districts is planned at a cost of approximately US$1 million per pitch.
The programme also includes the construction of a FIFA Academy with an estimated investment of US$15 million, as well as a national stadium with a capacity of 20,000 to 25,000 spectators valued at approximately US$50 million. All of these initiatives are designed to rebuild communities through sport as part of the Gaza reconstruction effort.