Governing Bodies

FIFA is the French acronym for Fédération Internationale de Football Association — the world governing body of association football, futsal, and beach soccer.

Clubs belong to national associations, and national associations are members of FIFA.

The International Football Association Board was founded in 1886 by the associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland; FIFA joined it later.

A confederation governs football across a continent — for example, UEFA in Europe, CAF in Africa. Each FIFA member association belongs to one confederation.

UEFA — the Union of European Football Associations — governs football in Europe and organises the Champions League, Europa League, and European Championship.

CONMEBOL governs football in South America. It is the oldest of the six continental confederations, founded in 1916.

CAF — the Confederation of African Football — governs football across Africa. It organises the Africa Cup of Nations.

The AFC — Asian Football Confederation — governs football in Asia and organises the AFC Asian Cup.

CONMEBOL dates from 1916, UEFA from 1954, CAF from 1957, CONCACAF from 1961 and OFC from 1966.

CONCACAF governs football across North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. It organises the Gold Cup.

FIFA has 211 member associations — more than the United Nations (193 members), because FIFA recognises some non-sovereign territories such as the four UK home nations separately.

FIFA was founded on 21 May 1904 in Paris by representatives of seven national associations: France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain (Madrid FC), Sweden, and Switzerland — Germany joined the same day by telegram.

There are six continental confederations: UEFA, CONMEBOL, CAF, AFC, OFC, and CONCACAF. Each FIFA member association must also belong to one of them.

The first FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930. Uruguay won the tournament on home soil.

Seven nations met in Paris on 21 May 1904: France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain (Madrid FC), Sweden, and Switzerland. Germany pledged to join the same day by telegram, so the founding group is often referred to as eight nations.

UEFA was founded on 15 June 1954 in Basel, Switzerland. It now has 55 member associations across Europe.

FIFA was founded first, the South American confederation twelve years later, and the European one decades after that.

The men's World Cup began first, the European Championship followed three decades later, and the Women's World Cup began in the 1990s.

The FIFA World Cup has been held every four years since 1930, with the only exceptions being 1942 and 1946, which were cancelled due to World War II.

FIFA is based in Zurich, Switzerland.

The FIFA World Cup — the most-watched sporting tournament on earth — is organised by FIFA every four years.

The UEFA Champions League — Europe's premier club competition — is organised by UEFA. It runs annually from September to May/June.

Changes to the Laws are usually trialled first; IFAB then votes, and approved changes come into force for the following season.

The Copa América is the South American continental championship, organised by CONMEBOL. It is the oldest continental international tournament in football, dating back to 1916.

The Africa Cup of Nations is organised by the Confederation of African Football.

The AFC Asian Cup — the continental championship for Asia — is organised by the AFC. It has been held since 1956.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the continental championship of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. It has been held biennially since 1991.

The UEFA European Championship — the 'Euros' — is organised by UEFA. It is held every four years and was first contested in 1960.

The Copa América began in 1916, the Asian Cup in 1956, the Africa Cup of Nations in 1957 and the European Championship in 1960.

FIFA maintains the international referees' list and appoints officials for international matches, in cooperation with the relevant confederations.

Australia left the Oceania Football Confederation for the Asian Football Confederation in 2006.

FIFA recognises 211 associations vs. the UN's 193 members. The four UK home nations, Hong Kong, Macau, Faroe Islands, Palestine, and others are FIFA members though not UN states.

Clubs play in the competitions of their own confederation. Israel, Kazakhstan, and Australia are notable exceptions where the country has moved confederations for political or geographic reasons.

FIFA requires national associations to run football free of government control and suspends them when that is broken.

IFAB has eight votes and needs six to change a Law, so no single member can change the Laws alone.

Confederations can introduce additional regulations for their competitions (e.g., squad sizes, substitution counts) but cannot contradict the Laws of the Game written by IFAB.

A one-time switch of national team is allowed under strict conditions, particularly when a player has not played a senior competitive match for the original country, or under refugee/dual-nationality cases recognised by FIFA.

Only FIFA's 211 member associations are eligible for World Cup qualification. Non-FIFA territories may compete in alternative tournaments organised by ConIFA.

FIFA's hosting policy generally rotates the World Cup between confederations to spread the tournament globally, although the exact rules have varied over the years.

IFAB has eight votes: four for FIFA and one each for the FAs of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland — a recognition of their historical role in codifying the rules.

A FIFA suspension prevents both the suspended association's national teams and its clubs from playing international matches — a major consequence in the modern game.

Only referees on FIFA's international list may officiate FIFA-sanctioned matches between national teams or in continental club competitions.

Fielding an ineligible player can lead to the match being awarded to the opponents, usually 3-0.

FIFA's statutes provide for fines, suspensions, or expulsion of associations that fail to comply with their obligations.

Colombia withdrew, so FIFA moved the 1986 World Cup to Mexico.

A red card in an international competition brings at least a one-match suspension.

FIFA enforces a zero-tolerance approach to match-fixing under Article 69 of the Disciplinary Code. Lifetime bans for individuals and association sanctions are common.

Resignation from FIFA cuts off all official international competition for that country's teams. Few countries voluntarily resign because of these severe consequences.

Government dissolution of a national federation is a textbook case of political interference, and FIFA suspends the country until football autonomy is restored.

FIFA has authority to handle cancellation, as the World Cups of 1942 and 1946 (cancelled due to World War II) demonstrate. Decisions are case-by-case.

Uruguay hosted and won the first World Cup in 1930.

World War II made it impossible to hold the 1942 and 1946 World Cups. The tournament resumed in 1950 in Brazil — the only break in the four-year cycle.

Although the FA codified the rules in 1863, the British associations were initially aloof from FIFA. England joined in 1905, withdrew several times, and rejoined permanently after 1946.

IFAB was founded in 1886 by the FAs of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (now Northern Ireland) to harmonise the Laws of the Game. FIFA joined IFAB in 1913.

Robert Guérin of France was FIFA's first president, serving from its founding in 1904 until 1906. Jules Rimet, who served 1921–1954, founded the World Cup.

The original trophy was named the Jules Rimet Cup in 1946 in honour of the FIFA president who established the World Cup. Brazil kept it permanently after winning their third title in 1970.

The first Laws date from 1863, IFAB from 1886 and FIFA from 1904; FIFA joined IFAB in 1913.

The European Cup came first, the European Championship a few years later, and the club competition took the Champions League name much later.

The first European Nations' Cup — later renamed the European Championship — was held in 1960 in France. The Soviet Union won it.

Australia moved from the OFC to the AFC in 2006, seeking stronger competition for World Cup qualification. The country has since hosted the AFC Asian Cup (2015) and won it that year.

The UK is not a FIFA member, but its four constituent nations — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland — are members in their own right, a historical exception dating from football's origins.

Israel was placed in UEFA in 1994, Kazakhstan moved to UEFA in 2002 and Australia to the AFC in 2006.

Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana are geographically in South America but historically and culturally part of CONCACAF.

The Cook Islands, in free association with New Zealand, are not a UN member but belong to FIFA and the OFC.

Hong Kong, like Macau, retains its separate FIFA membership through the 'one country, two systems' principle, having joined FIFA before the 1997 handover.

OFC is the smallest confederation, with around 11–13 members, mostly small Pacific island nations. CONMEBOL is the next smallest with 10 members.

CONMEBOL has 10 members — the 10 South American nations: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

A suspension stops an association's teams from playing internationally but does not end its membership.

There is no rule against it, but in practice every World Cup winner had previously appeared in the tournament. The host nation is automatically qualified, even if newly admitted.

A combined Great Britain men's team played at the 2012 London Olympics. The four FAs maintain separate FIFA membership, and combined participation requires special agreement.

FIFA runs the World Cup and the global football administration. IFAB is the small but powerful body that drafts and amends the Laws of the Game. FIFA holds half the votes on IFAB.

FIFA has 211 members; the UN has 193. The difference is because FIFA admits territories like the four UK home nations, Hong Kong, Macau, and others as separate associations.

UEFA has 55 member associations, slightly more than CAF.

IFAB was founded in 1886, eighteen years before FIFA in 1904. FIFA only joined IFAB as a voting member in 1913.

The Copa América started in 1916, the World Cup in 1930, the European Cup in 1955 and the European Championship in 1960.

FIFA was founded in 1904, CONMEBOL in 1916, UEFA in 1954 and CAF in 1957.

Both tournaments run for about a month, every four years, alternating odd years between the men's competitions to avoid clashing.

European nations have won more World Cup titles than South American ones. Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and England all hold titles, alongside CONMEBOL's Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

FIFA's commercial scale (over USD 5 billion per four-year cycle) dwarfs any single national association. Some of this revenue is redistributed to member associations through development programmes.

IFAB's eight-vote system requires a 6/8 majority, meaning FIFA's four votes alone are not enough. FIFA's Congress, by contrast, uses simple majorities for most decisions.

World Cup hosts are chosen by FIFA; Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament in 2010.

Admission requires a functioning national federation, organised league football, recognition by the relevant confederation, and a vote at the FIFA Congress.

New ideas for the Laws, such as sin-bins, are trialled with IFAB's approval before any decision to change the Laws.

FIFA decides national eligibility under specific rules: nationality, residency, and limits on switching between teams once a senior competitive cap has been earned.

FIFA enforces governmental non-interference. Suspensions following such decrees have happened repeatedly across continents over the years.

Cross-confederation regular competition is not the norm. The FIFA Club World Cup is a key exception, bringing together champions from all six confederations.

IFAB decides whether a technology may be used under the Laws; FIFA then adopts approved systems in its competitions.

A confederation has autonomy over its own competition formats, within FIFA's overall rules. Recent examples include the Africa Cup of Nations expanding to 24 teams.

Non-FIFA bodies like ConIFA hold tournaments for unrecognised regions and stateless minorities. These events are legitimate but not FIFA-sanctioned.

Confederations and competition organisers can introduce point-system innovations, as they govern format rather than the Laws of the Game.

FIFA governs world football. UEFA governs Europe; IFAB writes the Laws; the IOC organises the Olympics.

FIFA has been headquartered in Zurich since shortly after its 1904 founding. The city's neutrality and infrastructure make it ideal for international sporting bodies.

England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each have separate FIFA membership and one IFAB vote each — alongside FIFA's four IFAB votes.

CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, was founded in 1916, decades before the others.

IFAB is the only body authorised to write the Laws. FIFA is one of its members but cannot change the Laws unilaterally.

The Copa América is older than the World Cup, and the European Championship came three decades after the first World Cup.

FIFA's Statutes require non-interference in football governance and provide for suspension when national governments override their football associations.

Goal size — like every Law of the Game — is set by IFAB. Changes require a 6/8 vote of the Board.

A federation runs football in one country; a confederation groups federations across a continent.

FIFA's 211 vs. UN's 193 reflects football's history: separate British associations, special territories, and historical exceptions all hold their own FIFA membership.