H.E. President Paul Kagame, alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino, gifted soccer balls to 220 boys and girls aged between 11-15 years during the FIFA Football Festival held at Amahoro Stadium, sharing the joy of the festive season and supporting youth talent development.

Each of the 220 kids went home with a ball while 11 participating academies also received soccer balls which will facilitate their training sessions while supporting their development. 

Both leaders highlighted football as a tool for peace, discipline, and resilience, reaffirming FIFA’s continued commitment to developing football infrastructure and talent across Rwanda.

Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) is set to embark on a nationwide distribution of soccer balls to different academies, technical centers and rural based or community centers with an aim of ensuring that every child has access to a soccer ball. 

Today, FERWAFA distributed 350 balls, the remaining 650 will be provided to the above mentioned football centers before the end of the year. This will be followed with a nationwide distribution campaign in January and February 2026 were 4000 soccer balls will be distributed. 

Today’s football festival attracted six boys academy namely: Umuri Foundation which had two age categories (U-11/U13), Rafiki Talent football center from Musanze (U-13), APR academy (U-13), FTPR Lions Academy (U-13) and Nirisarike Football Center from Rubavu (U-15).

The girls category was represented by PSG Rwanda academy from Huye (U-13), Center for Champions from Rwamagana (U-13), Police WFC (U-13), New Harvest football center (U-13) and Runner Up Sports Academy (U-13), all from Kigali.