FIFA Opens Its First Infrastructure Workshop for Latin America in Mexico
FIFA opens its first infrastructure workshop for Latin America at the FMF's CAR: 52 delegates from 23 federations and a replicable standard for SMEs.
On Thursday, October 15, 2026, FIFA opened its first infrastructure workshop for Latin America at the Mexican Football Federation's High Performance Center (CAR), with 52 representatives from 23 federations across the continent. The course, called the FIFA Campus Essential Course in Football Infrastructure, runs for two days.
The venue has its own financial backing. According to El Universal, the CAR renovation cost 400 million pesos: the buildings went from 8,500 to 19,500 square meters of constructed space, lodging capacity rose to 156 people, and the gym expanded from 300 to 800 square meters, with hydrotherapy and rainwater harvesting. Excélsior reports that FIFA Forward funds converted pitch 4 from natural grass to hybrid and upgraded pitch 2, a project FIFA recognized as the best executed under that program. For an SME that sells grass, irrigation or modular construction to clubs and federations, the CAR serves as a catalog of what can be financed. The workshop aims to see that kind of work replicated across other federations on the continent.
The workshop brought together delegations from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the United States, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Panama, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Belize, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and El Salvador, in addition to the FMF, according to TUDN. Walter Holleran, FIFA's Senior MA Infrastructure Manager, and José Alfonso Rodríguez, Lead Regional Office, were present. FMF commissioner Mikel Arriola said it is "an honor to host this FIFA workshop, the first in the history of our continent," and received an official Trionda ball. The agenda covers planning and construction of training centers, stadiums and pitches, plus efficient operation and sustainability. The opening closed with the official photograph of the 23 delegations led by Arriola.
For sports architecture firms, hybrid grass installers and medical equipment suppliers, the takeaway puts on the table which CAR specifications become the reference for upcoming projects financed by member federations. The hybrid pitch 4 and rainwater harvesting set the technical floor for that conversation.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.