FIFA has partnered with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to deliver upon the education pillar of its groundbreaking FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Legacy Fund plan. For the first time ever, and with the support of the the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) in Qatar, the scope of a FIFA World Cup™ Legacy Fund goes beyond football, with social programmes at the international level aimed at helping those most in need around the world.

In cooperation with the WTO and the International Trade Centre (ITC), FIFA will support the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund, which aims to empower female entrepreneurs economically by leveraging the potential of digitalisation to help them access global value chains.

"(It) is a historic opportunity, and I want to start by thanking FIFA and Gianni (Infantino), in particular, for this historic opportunity to benefit from this fund, and this partnership," said WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. "Women are indispensable drivers of social and economic progress. Countries and communities cannot thrive if women are being left behind. And that’s why it brings me immense joy that WTO and ITC will be able to step up their joint efforts to empower women through trade, thanks to this pledge from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund, for our women exporters in the digital economy."

The Fund aims to educate women on a range of matters including marketing, online sales, trade and export rules, trade finance and financial management. Another core objective is job creation. Now, at least 10% of the women-led Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) targeted in beneficiary countries will also be working in the global football value chain. At least one beneficiary country in the first two years will come from the Middle East and North Africa region. "This groundbreaking collaboration with FIFA will really help WEIDE to scale up its training and advisory support for women entrepreneurs in developing countries, who are seeking to use digital tools and platforms to access international market opportunities," added Dr Okonjo-Iweala.