54-760: The FIFA International Match Calendar (sometimes abbreviated as the FIFA Calendar ) is an outline agreement between FIFA , the six continental football confederations, the European Club Association , and FIFPro , which sets out which dates can be used for "official" and " friendly " international matches. Individual periods of these dates are commonly referred to as "international breaks". The current dates are within five windows: in March, June, September, October, and November. The match calendar also determines when international competitions such as
108-736: A body called the International Football Association Board (IFAB). FIFA has members on its board (four representatives); the other four are provided by the football associations of the United Kingdom: England , Scotland , Wales , and Northern Ireland , who jointly established IFAB in 1882 and are recognized for the creation and history of the game. Changes to the Laws of the Game must be agreed upon by at least six delegates. The FIFA Statutes form
162-979: A different continent from his or her club's, the release period is five days. Friendly matches are deemed less important and the release period is 48 hours. FIFA insist that official and friendly matches take precedence over domestic matches. However, they state that international friendlies that take place outside the designated dates do not. The calendar was first used during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification . The women's international match calendar sets out which dates can be used for "official" and " friendly " women's international matches. The current dates are within six windows: in February or March, April, June or July, September, October, and November. FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( lit. ' International Federation of Association Football ' ), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( / ˈ f iː f ə / FEE -fə ),
216-471: A machine." This stance was finally overturned on 3 March 2018, when the IFAB wrote video assistant referees (also known as VARs) into the Laws of the Game permanently. Their use remains optional for competitions. In early July 2012 FIFA sanctioned the use of goal-line technology, subject to rules specified by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), who had officially approved its use by amending
270-518: A member of FIFA to sit on the Board. The petition was analysed, and IFAB concluded that it wasn’t the right time to establish FIFA as a member, and McDowall proceeded to write a response to the organisation explaining the consensus. At a special meeting held on 25 January 1913 in Wrexham , IFAB approved FIFA’s request after a proposition by The FA was made proposing that two members from FIFA should attend
324-483: A member of the association. The first tournament FIFA staged, the association football competition for the 1908 Olympics in London was more successful than its Olympic predecessors, despite the presence of professional footballers, contrary to the founding principles of FIFA. Membership of FIFA expanded beyond Europe with the application of South Africa in 1909, Argentina in 1912, Canada and Chile in 1913, and
378-678: A single body to oversee association football became increasingly apparent at the beginning of the 20th century with the increasing popularity of international fixtures. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in the rear of the headquarters of the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA) at the Rue Saint Honoré 229 in Paris on 21 May 1904. The French name and acronym are universally adopted outside French-speaking countries. The founding members were
432-485: Is awarded The Best FIFA Men's Player , and the top women's player is The Best FIFA Women's Player . Other prominent awards are The Best FIFA Football Coach and FIFA FIFPRO World 11 . In 2000, FIFA presented two awards, FIFA Club of the Century and FIFA Player of the Century , to decide the greatest football club and player of the 20th century. Real Madrid was the club winner, while Diego Maradona and Pelé were
486-723: Is held by the National Football Museum at Urbis in Manchester, England. The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Montevideo , Uruguay. The FIFA flag is blue, with the organization's wordmark logo in the middle. The current FIFA flag was first flown during the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Moscow, Russia. Akin to the UEFA Champions League , FIFA has adopted an anthem composed by
540-639: Is responsible for organizing and promoting football's major international tournaments , notably the World Cup which began in 1930, and the Women's World Cup which commenced in 1991. Although FIFA does not solely set the laws of the game , that being the responsibility of the International Football Association Board of which FIFA is a member, it applies and enforces the rules across all FIFA competitions. All FIFA tournaments generate revenue from sponsorships; in 2022, FIFA had revenues of over US$ 5.8 billion, ending
594-547: Is the current president, elected on 26 February 2016 at an extraordinary FIFA Congress session after former president Sepp Blatter was suspended pending a corruption investigation . FIFA's worldwide organizational structure also consists of several other bodies under the authority of the FIFA Council or created by Congress as standing committees. Among those bodies are the FIFA Emergency Committee,
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#1732772378787648-686: Is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football , beach soccer , and futsal . It was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium , Denmark , France , Germany , the Netherlands , Spain (represented by the Madrid Football Club ), Sweden , and Switzerland . Headquartered in Zurich , Switzerland, its membership now comprises 211 national associations . These national associations must also be members of one of
702-568: The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA, the International Federation of Association Football), the international governing body for football. Each British association has one vote and FIFA has four. IFAB deliberations must be approved by three-quarters of the vote, or at least six of the eight votes. Thus, FIFA's approval is necessary for any IFAB decision, but FIFA alone cannot change
756-534: The AFC Asian Cup , Africa Cup of Nations , Copa América , CONCACAF Gold Cup , OFC Nations Cup , UEFA European Championship , FIFA World Cup , and the Summer Olympics can take place. Official matches have a release period of four days, which means that players can take up to four days away from club duties to partake in national team duties. If a player participates in an official match on
810-873: The FIFA Ethics Committee , the Finance Committee, the Disciplinary Committee, and the Referees Committee. The FIFA Emergency Committee deals with all matters requiring immediate settlement in the time frame between the regular meetings of the FIFA Council . The Emergency Committee consists of the FIFA president as well as one member from each confederation. Emergency Committee decisions made are immediately put into legal effect, although they need to be ratified at
864-756: The Iran–Iraq War , Saudi Arabia for its military intervention in Yemen , Qatar for its human rights violations , or the United States for the actions of the US military during the Iraq War . FIFA previously banned Indonesia due to government intervention within the team. FIFA requires members to play "with no influence from third parties". On October 23, 2024, a new controversy came up as allegations against FIFA were made by players from several countries claiming
918-510: The Laws of the Game to permit (but not require) its use. This followed a high-profile incident during a second-round game in the 2010 FIFA World Cup between England and Germany, where a shot by Englishman Frank Lampard , which would have levelled the scores at 2–2 in a match that ultimately ended in a 4–1 German victory, crossed the line but was not seen to do so by the match officials, which led FIFA officials to declare that they would re-examine
972-708: The US Department of Justice on charges including racketeering , wire fraud , and money laundering . On 27 May 2015, several of these officials were arrested by Swiss authorities, who launched a simultaneous but separate criminal investigation into how the organization awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Those among these officials who were also indicted in the US are expected to be extradited to face charges there as well. Many officials were suspended by FIFA's ethics committee including Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini . In early 2017, reports became public about FIFA president Gianni Infantino attempting to prevent
1026-462: The United States in 1914. The 1912 Spalding Athletic Library "Official Guide" includes information on the 1912 Olympics (scores and stories), AAFA, and FIFA. The 1912 FIFA President was Dan B Woolfall. Daniel Burley Woolfall was president from 1906 to 1918. During World War I , with many players sent off to war and the possibility of travel for international fixtures severely limited,
1080-613: The law of Switzerland . FIFA's supreme body is the FIFA Congress , an assembly of representatives from each affiliated member association. Each national football association has one vote, regardless of size or footballing strength. The Congress assembles in ordinary sessions once every year, and extraordinary sessions have been held once a year since 1998. Congress makes decisions relating to FIFA's governing statutes and their method of implementation and application. Only Congress can pass changes to FIFA's statutes. The congress approves
1134-755: The list of national football teams and their respective country codes . The number of FIFA member associations is higher than the number of UN member states as FIFA has admitted associations from 23 non-sovereign entities as members in their own right, such as the four Home Nations within the United Kingdom and the two special administrative regions of China : Hong Kong and Macau . On 28 February 2022, FIFA suspended Russia from all competitions due to controversy surrounding Russia's invasion of Ukraine. FIFA can suspend countries due to numerous multifaceted issues. Common reasons include governance interference, corruption, and financial irregularities. Doping or
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#17327723787871188-485: The 2019–2022 cycle with a net positive of $ 1.2 billion, and cash reserves of over $ 3.9 billion. Reports by investigative journalists have linked FIFA leadership with corruption, bribery, and vote-rigging related to the election of FIFA president Sepp Blatter and the organization's decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively. These allegations led to the indictments of nine high-ranking FIFA officials and five corporate executives by
1242-523: The ABM is held between September and October. In cases of necessity, the Board can meet in a Special Meeting in addition to the two ordinary annual meetings. As of December 2012, the last Special Meeting was hosted by FIFA in Zürich on 5 July 2012. The decisions of each year's Annual General Meeting of the Board regarding changes to the Laws of the Game enter into force from 1 July (and are binding on FIFA and on
1296-453: The AGM is held at FIFA's offices; otherwise, it rotates between Northern Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland in that order. Four weeks before the AGM, the member associations must send their written proposals to the secretary of the host association. FIFA then prints a list of suggestions that are distributed to all other associations for examination. The AGM is held either in February or March and
1350-823: The German composer Franz Lambert since the 1994 FIFA World Cup . It has been re-arranged and produced by Rob May and Simon Hill . The FIFA Anthem is played at the beginning of official FIFA sanctioned matches and tournaments such as international friendlies, the FIFA World Cup , FIFA Women's World Cup , FIFA U-20 World Cup , FIFA U-17 World Cup , Football at the Summer Olympics , FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup , FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup , FIFA Futsal World Cup , FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and FIFA Club World Cup . Since 2007, FIFA has also required most of its broadcast partners to use short sequences including
1404-912: The IFA has evolved to become the organising body for football in Northern Ireland, with football in the Republic of Ireland being organised by the FAI . A request for the FAI to become a member of IFAB was denied at the 1923 annual general meeting. The IFAB is made up of representatives from England's Football Association (The FA), the Scottish Football Association (SFA), the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and Northern Ireland's Irish Football Association (IFA)—and
1458-658: The Laws of the Game—they need to be agreed by at least two of the UK members. As of 2016, all members must be present for a binding vote to proceed. The Board meets twice a year, once to decide on possible changes to the rules governing the game of Football (the Annual General Meeting (AGM)) and once to deliberate on its internal affairs (the Annual Business Meeting (ABM)). In FIFA World Cup years,
1512-588: The annual report and decides on the acceptance of new national associations, and holds elections. Congress elects the President of FIFA , its general secretary, and the other members of the FIFA Council in the year following the FIFA World Cup . FIFA Council – formerly called the FIFA Executive Committee and chaired by the president – is the organization's main decision-making body in the intervals of Congress. The council comprises 37 people:
1566-547: The anthem at the beginning and end of FIFA event coverage and for break bumpers to help promote FIFA's sponsors. This emulates practices long used by international football events, such as the UEFA Champions League. Exceptions may be made for specific circumstances; for example, an original piece of African music was used for bumpers during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Besides its worldwide institutions, there are six confederations recognized by FIFA which oversee
1620-450: The board, making FIFA the fifth member of IFAB. For the first four post-war IFAB meetings (1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923), FIFA was once again excluded, on account of a dispute between FIFA and the home nations regarding payments to amateur players. From 1924, the dispute had been reconciled, and FIFA resumed attendance of IFAB meetings. In 1958, the Board agreed on a voting system that would be used to this day. Since Irish partition in 1921,
1674-451: The case of two former Ireland internationals . As a direct result of this controversy, FIFA modified this ruling the following year to accommodate transfers between leagues with out-of-phase seasons. FIFA now permits the use of video evidence during matches, as well as for subsequent sanctions. However, for most of FIFA's history it stood opposed to its use. The 1970 meeting of the International Football Association Board "agreed to request
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1728-419: The game in the different continents and regions of the world. National associations, and not the continental confederations, are members of FIFA. The continental confederations are provided for in FIFA's statutes, and membership of a union is a prerequisite to FIFA membership. In total, FIFA recognizes 211 national associations and their associated men's national teams as well as 129 women's national teams; see
1782-466: The joint player's winners. Men's Women's Men's Women's Individual Team (Paulo Henrique Chaves) (Pedro Henrique Soares) (Paulo Neto) [REDACTED] (Levi de Weerd) (Manuel Bachoore) (Emre Yilmaz) The following table has the Top 20 ranked men's football countries worldwide. The following table has the Top 20 ranked women's football countries in
1836-471: The laws of the game, and discuss other matters of interest to Association football, and at which international disputes could be adjusted". The initial meeting of IFAB took place at The FA's offices at Holborn Viaduct in London on 2 June 1886. The FA, SFA, FAW and IFA each had equal voting rights. It was chaired by Sir Francis Marindin , and attended by Charles W. Alcock acting as Secretary. The meeting
1890-477: The members of the committee had their salaries doubled from $ 100,000 to $ 200,000 during the year. The report also said leaked documents had indicated $ 4.4 million in secret bonuses had been paid to the committee members following the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The laws that govern football known officially as the Laws of the Game , are not solely the responsibility of FIFA; they are maintained by
1944-455: The misappropriation of drugs is also a consideration for expulsion. The FIFA Men's World Rankings are updated monthly and rank each team based on their performance in international competitions, qualifiers, and friendly matches. There is also a world ranking for women's football , amended on a quarterly schedule. FIFA's headquarters is in Zürich , and it is an association established under
1998-697: The national associations of Belgium , Denmark , France , the Netherlands , Spain (represented by then- Real Madrid CF ; the Royal Spanish Football Federation was not created until 1913), Sweden and Switzerland . On the same day, the German Football Association (DFB) declared its intention to affiliate through a telegram. The first president of FIFA was Robert Guérin . Guérin was replaced in 1906 by Daniel Burley Woolfall from England , by then
2052-479: The next Executive Committee meeting. FIFA publishes its results according to International Financial Reporting Standards . The total compensation for the management committee in 2011 was 30 million for 35 people. Blatter, the only full-time person on the committee, earned approximately two million Swiss francs, 1.2 million in salary, and the rest in bonuses. A report in London's The Sunday Times in June 2014 said
2106-564: The organisation. Amendments to the Laws mandate a three-quarter supermajority vote, meaning that FIFA's support is necessary but not sufficient for a motion to pass. Although the rules of football had largely been standardised by the early 1880s, England's Football Association (The FA), the Scottish Football Association (SFA), the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and the Irish Football Association (IFA) had conflicting rules. When international matches were played,
2160-413: The organization did not pay them agreed sums of money. The total reaching with sums reaching up to £3m. According to reports Four hundred and twenty players did not get payed as agreed with FIFA. FIFA holds an annual awards ceremony, The Best FIFA Football Awards since 2016 , which recognizes both individual and team achievements in international association football. Individually, the top men's player
2214-545: The organization's survival was in doubt. Post-war, following the death of Woolfall, the organization was run by Dutchman Carl Hirschmann . It was saved from extinction but at the cost of the withdrawal of the Home Nations (of the United Kingdom), who cited an unwillingness to participate in international competitions with their World War enemies. The Home Nations later resumed their membership. The FIFA collection
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2268-463: The other members of the Board, and, given that FIFA's Statutes establish that FIFA and its member associations and affiliates adhere to the Laws of the Game laid down by IFAB, those changes bind also FIFA's other member associations, FIFA's continental confederations of member associations, and the subnational entities of the national associations) but confederations, member associations and other bodies whose current season has not ended by 1 July may delay
2322-470: The overarching document guiding FIFA's governing system. The governing system is divided into separate bodies with the appropriate powers to create a system of checks and balances. It consists of four general bodies: the Congress, the executive committee, the general Secretariat, and standing and ad hoc committees. FIFA frequently takes active roles in the running of the sport and developing the game around
2376-486: The president; 8 vice-presidents; and 28 members from the confederations, with at least one of them being a woman. The executive committee is the body that decides which country will host the World Cup. The president and the general secretary are the main office holders of FIFA and are in charge of its daily administration, carried in by the general secretariat, with its staff of approximately 280 members. Gianni Infantino
2430-423: The primary maintainer ("Guardian") of these Laws. FIFA , a prominent governing body for football, has recognised IFAB's jurisdiction over its Laws since its establishment in 1904. IFAB is a distinct body from FIFA, although FIFA is represented on the board and holds 50% of the voting power. The founding football associations of IFAB, England , Scotland , Northern Ireland and Wales each have permanent seats on
2484-530: The re-elections of both chairmen of the ethics committee, Cornel Borbély and Hans-Joachim Eckert , during the FIFA congress in May 2017. On 9 May 2017, following Infantino's proposal, FIFA Council decided not to renew the mandates of Borbély and Eckert. Together with the chairmen, 11 of 13 committee members were removed. FIFA has been suspected of corruption regarding the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup . The need for
2538-532: The rules of the home team's national association were used. While this solution was technically feasible, it was impractical. To remedy this, the FAs initialised a meeting on 6 December 1882 in Queen’s Hotel, Manchester in order to systematise a set of rules that could be applied uniformly to matches between the UK football associations' national teams. This was later named the “ International Football Conference ”. In
2592-457: The six regional confederations: CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia and Australia), UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North & Central America and the Caribbean), OFC (Oceania), and CONMEBOL (South America). FIFA outlines several objectives in its organizational statutes, including growing football internationally, ensuring it is accessible to everyone, and advocating for integrity and fair play. It
2646-574: The summer of 1885, the English FA declared that it legalised professionalism. The Scottish FA responded that it would refuse to allow professionals in its own national team, and would refuse to play international matches against an England team containing professionals. The Irish FA attempted to arbitrate by proposing that "an international conference should be held each year, say, in August, to be called in turn by each national association to deal with
2700-402: The television authorities to refrain from any slow-motion play-back which reflected, or might reflect, adversely on any decision of the referee". As recently as 2008 FIFA president Sepp Blatter said: "Let it be as it is and let's leave [football] with errors. The television companies will have the right to say [the referee] was right or wrong, but still, the referee makes the decision – a man, not
2754-635: The use of goal-line technology . On 28 February 2022, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and by a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA suspended the participation of Russia. The Russian Football Union unsuccessfully appealed the FIFA ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which upheld the ban. Some observers, while approving of the boycott of Russia, have pointed out that FIFA did not boycott Saddam Hussein's Iraq as an aggressor during
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#17327723787872808-444: The world. International Football Association Board The International Football Association Board ( IFAB ) is an international self-regulatory body of association football that is known for determining the Laws of the Game , the regulations for the gameplay of football. It was founded in 1886 in order to establish standardised regulations or "Laws" for the gameplay of international competition, and has since acted as
2862-516: The world. One of its sanctions is to suspend teams and associated members from international competition when a government interferes in the running of FIFA's associate member organizations or if the associate is not functioning correctly. A 2007 FIFA ruling that a player can be registered with a maximum of three clubs and appear in official matches for a maximum of two in a year measured from 1 July to 30 June has led to controversy, especially in those countries whose seasons cross that date barrier, as in
2916-402: Was notable for Marindin’s proposal, which outlined "That no player shall wear any kind of projection on the soles of heels of his boots with the exception of flat leather bars of an approved pattern". During IFAB’s annual general meeting (AGM) on 8 June 1912, the secretary, J.K. McDowall, scrutinised a letter that was attributed to the recently established FIFA, requesting that IFAB would invite
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