When Mongolia’s U-17 women’s national team entertained Hong Kong at home in a friendly international last Thursday, the hosts knew the game would go down in the nation’s football history.

It was the first-ever international match in their newly-constructed Air Dome. The joint efforts by FIFA and MFF paid off with construction of the Air Dome – 114m x 82m x 29m in size – completed this year.

With the wind whistling and land covered in snow, the cold weather of early April is not usually a time conducive for football in Mongolia. However, with the recent completion of the FIFA-funded Air Dome and its huge structure providing cover, the players could play on the football turf at the National Team Training Center (NTTC).

With strong support by FIFA, Mongolian Football Federation has made significant football development progress over recent years. In infrastructure terms, a new pitch with floodlights at the National Team Training Centre was funded by FIFA Forward in 2018. This was followed by another artificial pitch coupled with a grandstand and multipurpose facilities in New Yarmag from 2018-2021.

Last year saw the MFF Football Centre at the MFF Headquarters undergo an eco-friendly pitch renovation. At competition level, Mongolia made history when the men’s senior national team defeated Brunei over two legs during 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ qualifying to progress to the next stage for the first time. In the process, they also hosted the world’s first qualifying match during the Qatar 2022 campaign at the MFF Football Centre.

The MFF aims to lift their game to the next level.