A championship finale held at the Barthélemy Boganda Stadium in Bangui on 7 November brought down the curtain on a 15-month pilot phase of the FIFA Football for Schools programme in the Central African Republic — and signalled an ambitious new chapter for football-based education in the country.

Seven boys' teams and seven girls' teams competed in the finals. The boys' title was claimed by the Damara sub-prefecture school, who defeated Sibut, while Saint-Jean de Yapélé School beat Koudoukou to win the girls' crown.

Four pillars driving the programme

Beyond the trophies and medals, the event marked the completion of a comprehensive structure built on four interlocking pillars: integrating football into the school curriculum, registering participants through FIFA Connect, training teachers, and organising school competitions.

A three-way agreement between FIFA, the Central African Republic Football Federation (FCF), and national education authorities formally embedded football in the curriculum — a step regarded as essential to giving the initiative lasting roots. Teachers were trained not only to deliver sessions but to pass on the values of the game, with some already progressing along the coaching pathway.

FIFA Connect, a centralised digital platform, enables the FCF to register and manage all stakeholders involved in the programme, ensuring the project's growth can be tracked and sustained.

From local rounds to the national stage

School competitions form the fourth pillar, with an F4S 360 pathway that runs from local and regional rounds up to the national finals. The structure turns competition into a vehicle for participation and personal growth rather than a goal in itself.

Throughout the tournament, the blue card — awarded for positive behaviour on the pitch — reinforced values of respect and fair play, two principles at the heart of the Football for Schools philosophy.

Building momentum across the country

FCF President Célestin Yanindji and Minister of Youth and Sports Rodolphe Héritier Bonheur Doneng Wazoumon both attended the finals, lending official weight to the occasion and expressing their commitment to expanding the scheme.

The signs of appetite are already tangible: numerous schools have approached the FCF requesting to join the programme, reflecting the enthusiasm generated by the pilot. With government backing in place, the FCF is well positioned to extend the initiative's reach and establish football as a lasting tool for learning and development across the Central African Republic.