⚽ FIFA — Key Facts
| Type | Non-profit international sports federation (no private owner) |
| Full Name | Fédération Internationale de Football Association |
| Founded | May 21, 1904, Paris, France |
| HQ | Zurich, Switzerland |
| President | Gianni Infantino (since 2016) |
| Member Associations | 211 national football associations worldwide |
| Revenue (2023) | ~$7.5B (2022 World Cup cycle) |
FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is a non-profit international governing body for football (soccer), owned by no private individual or corporation. FIFA is structured as an association of its 211 member national football associations — each national federation is a member, and the overall organization is governed by the FIFA Council and Congress. The current President is Gianni Infantino, who has held the role since 2016.
Who “Owns” FIFA?
FIFA has no private owner. It is a Swiss non-profit association (Verein under Swiss law), headquartered in Zurich. Its 211 member national associations each have representation in FIFA’s governing structure, particularly through the FIFA Congress (where each member federation has one vote) and the FIFA Council (which includes the president, vice-presidents, and representatives from FIFA’s six continental confederations: UEFA, CONMEBOL, CAF, AFC, CONCACAF, and OFC). No single nation, company, or person owns FIFA; the organization operates under Swiss non-profit law for the stated benefit of football development worldwide.
FIFA’s Revenue and the World Cup
Despite being a non-profit, FIFA generates enormous revenues — approximately $7.5 billion over the 2019–2022 World Cup cycle, primarily from broadcasting rights, sponsorship, and licensing deals tied to the FIFA World Cup, the world’s most-watched sporting event. The FIFA World Cup alone generates more TV viewership than any other sporting event, exceeding 3 billion viewers for major tournaments. FIFA distributes a significant portion of revenues to its member associations for football development programs. However, the organization has faced persistent criticism and corruption scandals — most notably the 2015 FIFA corruption scandal, in which the US Department of Justice indicted dozens of FIFA officials for bribery and racketeering related to media rights deals spanning decades.
FIFA 2026 World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — the first World Cup with three host nations and the first time the event has been hosted in North America since 1994 (US) and 1986 (Mexico). The 2026 tournament features an expanded field of 48 teams (up from 32) and will be played at 16 stadiums across the three countries. The US is hosting 11 of the 16 venues. The tournament represents FIFA’s most ambitious commercial undertaking ever, with expected revenues substantially exceeding the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
