The long-awaited visit of FIFA President Gianni Infantino to South Sudan came to pass today when the FIFA president finally landed at Juba International Airport. The trip was announced late last month by South Sudan’s Football Association’s (SSFA) General Secretary, Victor Lual, who said the FIFA chief will grace the match scheduled to be played at the Juba National Stadium.
During this historic visit, he will attend the historic derby between South Sudan and Sudan at Juba Stadium in the 2026 World Cup qualifier. The FIFA President will also officially launch Juba Stadium, which now has a 7,000-seat capacity thanks to the renovations funded by FIFA Forward 1.0 and 2.0, amounting to USD 5,150,000.
![Fifa President Gianni Infantino Visits South Sudan For A Historic Visit Gianni Infantino Visits South Sudan](https://wonusu.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1440,height=808,fit=crop,quality=70,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Juba-Stadium-1024x575.png)
The upgraded Juba stadium now features a FIFA-certified artificial turf pitch, modern facilities, and operational offices for officials and staff. In the future, the stadium will host national team matches, both men’s and women’s, and local league games. The renovation will also include the purchase of a giant screen and the installation of floodlights, making Juba Stadium the largest and only CAF-approved stadium in South Sudan.
FIFA Forward, the world’s largest sports development program, has invested 2.8 billion USD since its inception in 2016. By the end of 2026, FIFA plans to invest a total of 5 billion USD globally through this program.
After South Sudan, Gianni Infantino will travel to Malawi before heading to Zambia. In Malawi, he is expected to grace the FIFA-funded U14 and U16 boys and girls league matches. In Zambia, he will launch the Accommodation Center FIFA-funded project and the Commemoration of the Gabon Air Disaster memorial site.