Sri Lankan football advanced significantly through its hosting of the FIFA Series, Football Federation of Sri Lanka president Jaswar Umar has said in a message published by FIFA.
Sri Lanka staged the inaugural FIFA Series in March 2024 at the Racecourse Ground in Colombo — a four-nation tournament that brought together Bhutan, the Central African Republic and Papua New Guinea, teams drawn from three different confederations.
The FFSL said hosting the event amounted to more than staging an international competition, describing it as a milestone that brought Sri Lankan football onto the global stage.
Umar said holding the first FIFA Series in Colombo sent a clear message that Sri Lanka belongs on the world football stage, and that developing football nations deserve genuine opportunities to compete, learn and grow, Hiru News reported.
The venue as the point
The Racecourse Ground itself is offered as the evidence of continuing FIFA backing: it was renovated and prepared for international fixtures under the FIFA Forward Programme, which funds infrastructure and development projects for member associations.
That infrastructure argument is the substantive part of the message. The FIFA Series concept exists to give nations outside the established international calendar competitive fixtures against opponents from other confederations — the practical scarcity that constrains sides ranked where Sri Lanka is.
Context
The statement lands on a federation that has been rebuilding its institutional footing. The FFSL established permanent offices and restructured its 61 leagues earlier this year, and Umar was elected a vice-president of the South Asian Football Federation in August.
A note on what this is
This is a federation president’s reflection published by FIFA, not a report of a new tournament or fixture. The event it describes took place in March 2024. The report gives no indication that Sri Lanka will host another FIFA Series edition, names no upcoming fixtures, and puts no figure on what the FIFA Forward funding for the Racecourse Ground amounted to. No other verified newsroom had carried the message at the time of writing.
