FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, have met for talks in New York City, where both are on the occasion of the 77th United Nations General Assembly.

During the meeting, which took place at the Turkevi Center near the United Nations’ headquarters, President Erdoğan and President Infantino discussed the upcoming FIFA World Cup™ in Qatar, which kicks off on 20 November 2022. 

President Erdoğan signalled his intention to be present for the tournament, which is predicted to reach an audience of over five billion people worldwide during the 29 days of football.

In recent years the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has actively engaged the FIFA Forward programme – the vehicle used by FIFA to distribute funds for global football development – including for the extension of the TFF Riva Facility, where Turkey’s national teams train.

The exchange between the FIFA President and President Erdoğan follows a recent meeting in Paris between Mr Infantino and the president of the TFF, Mehmet Büyükekşi – during which the new TFF president provided an in-depth update on the strategy and vision the association will pursue, under his leadership.