U-12 teams from all 32 Mexican states participate in a four-day football festival
More than 640 girls and boys took part and 1,000 relatives attended
Festival was the culmination of the “world’s biggest schools’ tournament”
More than 640 girls and boys from all 32 Mexican states have taken part in the final stage of the inaugural National Schools Football Tournament, organised by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) and Mexico’s Public Education Secretariat (SEP) with support from the FIFA Forward and Football for Schools programmes. Thirty-two schools competed in each of the girls’ and boys’ tournaments at the U-12 level over four days at the FMF’s Casa del Fútbol in Toluca. More than 1,000 parents and relatives were also invited, creating a festive atmosphere. The competition used a five-a-side format, with simplified rules and incorporating some elements of futsal. The festival was the culmination of a huge tournament involving 6,000 schools and 1.8 million children across the country, organised by the FMF and SEP. It began with the intramural stage, played within each individual school, then the interschool stage, contested by teams from the same municipalities. That was followed by the state stage, featuring 16 teams per gender, with the winners qualifying for the final (National) stage in Toluca.
“The biggest schools’ tournament in the world, which was organised by the FMF, FIFA and the SEP,” said Mario Delgado, Mexico’s Secretary of Public Education. “We are very happy with this initiative, which promotes sport among boys and girls – a popular sport such as football.” The girls’ tournament was won by the Escuela Primaria Enrique C. Rébsamen from the state of Guanajuato while the Escuela Primaria Antonio Álvarez Berrones from Tamaulipas were crowned champions of the boys’ tournament.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to have brought this to life for the girls and boys who have come from all across Mexico to take part in the final stages of this wonderful tournament. This is football in its purest form, just the children, the ball, and the joy of the game. We are proud to support this through the FIFA Football for Schools Programme and the FIFA Forward Programme,” said Jair Bertoni, FIFA Director of Member Associations Americas.
“For FIFA, it’s truly inspiring to be part of a project focused on children of this age, seeing the smiles football brings to their faces and how it sparks dreams and hope for the future. As President (Gianni) Infantino often says, learning comes easier with a football and that spirit is what drives our joint efforts at FIFA and the FMF to make this initiative a true success.” FIFA’s Football for Schools Programme, which teaches children life skills through football, was introduced in Mexico in the second half of 2024 in conjunction with the FMF’s Jugamos Todos initiative. More than 500 schools in the states of Guerrero, Sonora and Michoacán benefited from the donation of footballs and training of teachers.
“It's been a real team effort,” said Antonio Buenaño Sánchez, Manager Football for Schools. “The special thing about Football for Schools is that the children are learning how to play football, to pass the ball, to receive the ball, to shoot at goal. At the same time, they are learning certain values, life skills that will be useful to them: communication, respect, teamwork, perseverance. We have to make the most of football’s impact to improve their daily lives.” During the festival, the FMF also organised a Football Pitches Workshop in which members of a FIFA team took part alongside representatives of several Mexican professional clubs and the FIFA Member Associations of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras and Puerto Rico.