Costa Rica's young women's futsal players are representing their country on the Olympic stage at the Youth Olympic Futsal Tournaments Dakar 2026, having prepared for the historic competition at a facility built with the support of the FIFA Forward Programme.

The tournament, part of the first Olympic sporting event to be staged on African soil, has brought together eight women's and eight men's teams in the Senegalese capital, offering a new generation of players the opportunity to compete internationally and experience the unique atmosphere of the Youth Olympic Games.

For Costa Rica, the journey to Dakar began long before the team arrived in Senegal. At the heart of their preparations was a dedicated futsal arena at the Costa Rican Football Federation's headquarters in San Rafael de Alajuela, constructed with FIFA Forward support.

Opened in February 2018, the facility represented a significant investment in the development of futsal in Costa Rica. FIFA contributed just over USD 1 million towards the USD 1.8 million project, which provided the country with a purpose-built venue featuring an international-standard 40m x 20m playing surface, changing rooms, spectator facilities and a capacity of approximately 450.

For Tatiana Cascante, head coach of Costa Rica's women's futsal team, access to facilities of this standard has made a tangible difference to the development of the sport.

"The BN Arena project has been a great help to all clubs in the first division, the second division and the youth leagues, everything that's played there," she said. "It encourages girls to use the gym facilities, and so on. It's a huge help for us, for the league, for everyone, in fact."

The benefits extend well beyond the national teams. Since its inauguration, the arena has regularly hosted domestic futsal competitions, international matches and training sessions, providing opportunities for players at different levels of the game.

In December 2021, the venue staged the final stages of the men's and women's futsal competitions at Costa Rica's National Sports Games, underlining its importance for youth development.

The arena has also witnessed memorable moments on the international stage. In March 2023, Costa Rica's men's national futsal team defeated Argentina 4-3 in a friendly match at the venue, while February 2025 saw the United States women's national futsal team play their first-ever international match there.

For Kasra Haghighi, FIFA's Head of Olympics, Futsal & Beach Soccer, Costa Rica's participation at Dakar 2026 is a powerful example of how investment in infrastructure can help develop futsal and create opportunities for young players.

"Costa Rica is a true success story of what sustained investment in futsal development can achieve. The federation has a strong futsal tradition in the region and, through FIFA Forward, we have been able to support the development of infrastructure that gives young players the opportunity to train in professional conditions and prepare for international competition. It is fantastic to see Costa Rica’s women’s team here in Dakar, competing on the Olympic stage. Seeing these young players represent their country at this level is exactly what these investments are about: creating opportunities, developing talent and helping futsal grow around the world."

For the young Costa Rican players preparing for Dakar 2026, the facility offered an opportunity to train in conditions resembling those they would encounter at the tournament.

Cascante explained that the squad, assembled from different parts of Costa Rica, had benefited from access to facilities that many of the players had never previously experienced.

"Of course, we have players from different parts of the country. However, very few of them had ever had the experience of using the weight training gym, of playing on a pitch with the correct dimensions, of trying to get them used to a setting where they could get a bit of a feel for what the tournament would be like by being in the right facilities. Like those at the BN Arena – we trained there from Monday to Friday. They had the right passion for what we needed to do here."

Costa Rica captain Naidelyn Barquero echoed her coach's assessment, highlighting the benefits of training at the arena ahead of the team's Olympic adventure.

"I think they're very comprehensive facilities and they've helped us both with the physical aspect and mentally, too. The coaches have helped with that part too, and it's honestly really nice to train there," she said. "It's a really big pitch and the conditions it offers get the best out of us to come to competitions like these.

Reflecting on the positive experience of competing in Dakar, Cascante reiterated her pride in her young team and what they achieved.

"I think you always feel proud to represent your country, no matter where you are, and especially in the Olympics. I think all the girls and all of us came here with a conviction to do well. We knew it would be tough, especially with the group we got.

"But we were satisfied and happy to have this experience, with the girls being of such a young age, and that people have noticed us. We're very happy about that."