# FIFA > FIFA, football's 211-member global governing body based in Zurich, Switzerland, owns the World Cup franchise and distributes billions annually to national associations across six continents. **Meta:** type: reference · date: 2026-07-03 · heads: · 3 takes · 2 lenses · 2 regions ## What it is FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is the international governing body for association football, futsal, and beach soccer, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Its 211 member associations each hold a single vote in the FIFA Congress, the supreme governing authority, regardless of population or wealth. Six continental confederations sit between FIFA and its national members: AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe). FIFA sets the Laws of the Game in partnership with the International Football Association Board (IFAB), organizes the senior men's and women's World Cups, and distributes prize money and development grants to member associations. The 2019-2022 four-year cycle generated over US$5.8 billion in revenue, with cash reserves above US$3.9 billion at cycle end. ## History FIFA was founded on May 21, 1904, at 229 rue Saint-Honoré in Paris by the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain (represented by Real Madrid CF), Sweden, and Switzerland. Robert Guérin of France served as the first president; England's Football Association, skeptical of foreign governance, joined in 1906. The first World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930 with 13 nations competing; the 1942 and 1946 editions were cancelled during World War II. Brazil's João Havelange (FIFA president 1974-1998) professionalized the organization, expanding the World Cup from 16 to 24 to 32 teams and securing the first major television and sponsorship contracts. His successor, Switzerland's Sepp Blatter (1998-2015), deepened those commercial structures while expanding women's and youth programs. The organization's governance reputation collapsed in May 2015, when Swiss authorities arrested multiple FIFA officials in Zurich on request from the United States Department of Justice, which charged 14 FIFA officials and associates with racketeering, wire fraud, and money-laundering tied to bribery for media and marketing rights. ## Current state Switzerland's Gianni Infantino was elected FIFA president at an extraordinary congress in February 2016 following Blatter's suspension, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023. The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the first edition with 48 teams and 104 matches, projects revenues of roughly US$13 billion, more than double the previous four-year cycle. As of early July 2026, the [Round of 32](/en/n/world-cup-2026-r32-jul1) is underway, featuring upsets including [Paraguay eliminating four-time champion Germany on penalties](/en/n/paraguay-germany-wc2026-jun29). The [data partnership with Saudi Aramco](/en/n/fifa-aramco-power-rankings-2026), named the tournament's exclusive Energy Partner in a deal worth roughly US$400 million over four years, has drawn a public letter from 130 women players across 27 nations demanding termination. ## Relationships FIFA's revenue model concentrates almost entirely in the men's World Cup, which generates roughly 90 percent of each four-year cycle's income through broadcast rights and sponsorship. Saudi Arabia has become a structural axis of FIFA's commercial strategy: Aramco serves as the 2026 Energy Partner, Saudi Arabia was awarded the 2034 World Cup by acclamation in October 2024 without a competitive bid process, and Saudi entities have invested heavily in club football through the Saudi Pro League. The independent ethics committee that expelled Blatter and other officials after 2015 was largely dismantled by 2017, with its reform-era leadership removed at the Bahrain Congress. In July 2025 FIFA opened a New York City office in Trump Tower, drawing scrutiny given proximity to the United States host-nation government. ## What to watch - Whether the 2026 expanded format and record revenues shift financial distribution toward historically underserved confederations such as OFC and CAF. - FIFA's response to the Aramco sponsorship opposition ahead of the 2027 Women's World Cup, which carries the same partnership. - Human-rights conditions attached to Saudi Arabia's 2034 hosting rights and whether FIFA enforces them. - Any governance challenge to Infantino before his third term expires in 2027. ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### official record - **FIFA** (Switzerland, en) — FIFA's official release marking its 120th anniversary confirms the May 21 1904 founding in Paris by seven associations, first president Robert Guerin, and growth from seven members to 211 over 120 years. Source: https://inside.fifa.com/media-releases/fifa-celebrates-120th-anniversary-of-foundation-in-paris - **FIFA** (Switzerland, en) — FIFA's organisation overview describes its mandate as global governing body for football across 211 member associations and six continental confederations, setting the Laws of the Game and organizing major tournaments. Source: https://inside.fifa.com/organisation ### sports governance - **Play the Game** (Denmark, en) — April 2026 analysis documents Infantino's decade: the 2017 removal of independent ethics figures at the Bahrain Congress, financial patronage to member federations, documented proximity to authoritarian leaders, and the 2034 World Cup awarded to Saudi Arabia by acclamation with no competitive bid. Source: https://www.playthegame.org/news/infantino-s-fifa-ten-years-of-power-politics-and-so-called-ethics/ ## Across the graph - Related: [[world-cup-2026-r32-jul1]], [[paraguay-germany-wc2026-jun29]], [[fifa-aramco-power-rankings-2026]] - Entities: Fifa, Gianni Infantino, Fifa World Cup, Saudi Arabia, Media Rights --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/fifa-dossier