CAF and Qatar Football Association Sign Landmark Five-Year Cooperation Agreement
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Qatar Football Association (QFA) have officially entered into a five-year partnership aimed at deepening collaboration across key areas of football development, CAF announced on its official website.
The agreement, signed this week, establishes a framework for the exchange of experience and expertise in several strategic domains, including administration, coaching, sports medicine, refereeing, youth development, women’s football, infrastructure, marketing, and communications.
“This cooperation reflects a shared vision to enhance the professional and technical standards of football through mutual support and knowledge-sharing,” the statement from CAF read.
The agreement comes on the heels of a recent visit by CAF President Issa Hayatou to Qatar, where he met with the Emir and other senior officials. That visit was seen as an opportunity for the African football body to express its gratitude for Qatar’s support during a turbulent period at the end of the previous year, when CAF struggled to find a new host for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations following Morocco’s withdrawal.
Qatar, set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has been actively expanding its global football footprint through partnerships and investment in infrastructure, training, and international cooperation. This new agreement further strengthens its ties with African football and aligns with its broader strategy to position itself as a hub for football development.
For CAF, the deal is expected to bring technical benefits and valuable resources to help modernise various aspects of football management and training across its member associations. The collaboration also marks another step in CAF’s ongoing efforts to build strategic international alliances that support its long-term development goals.
The partnership is set to run through 2029, with both CAF and the QFA expected to begin implementing joint projects in the coming months.
