FIFA
Governing body of world soccer and organizer of the World Cup
- Entries
- 8
- On the record
- 2
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Dec 5, 2025
The record
FIFA is an association under the Swiss Civil Code with its headquarters in Zurich, according to its statutes. Beyond the 2015 U.S. indictments, its own record runs through its ethics committee, its presidential elections and its tournament decisions. In December 2015 the ethics committee banned former president Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini from football for eight years over a payment of about 1.3 million pounds made to Platini in 2011.
Gianni Infantino, then UEFA's general secretary, won the February 2016 election to succeed Blatter with 115 of 207 votes in the second round and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023. Under him FIFA suspended Russia's national teams in February 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine, a ban the Court of Arbitration for Sport declined to freeze, and in December 2024 confirmed Saudi Arabia, the only bidder, as host of the 2034 World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, was the first with 48 teams. On December 5, 2025, the day of the draw in Washington, Infantino gave President Trump the first FIFA Peace Prize, which drew criticism from Human Rights Watch and others who pointed to FIFA's long-stated political neutrality. FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.
Roles and honours on the record
- as of 2024 Association under article 60 ff. of the Swiss Civil Code, headquartered in Zurich, President Gianni Infantino source
- 2016- Led by Gianni Infantino, elected in February 2016 and re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023 source
- 2026 Organizer of the first 48-team World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada source
Every entry, newest first
- Reported
Said it would seek restitution after a Brooklyn jury convicted two former soccer officials. FIFA corruption case: 14 charged over $150M in alleged bribes
- Filed
Justice Department unsealed a 47-count indictment charging 14 defendants, FIFA officials among them, with racketeering and fraud conspiracies. FIFA corruption case: 14 charged over $150M in alleged bribes
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 2015-12 Reported FIFA's ethics committee banned Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini from football-related activity for eight years over a payment of about 1.3 million pounds made to Platini in 2011. ESPN report
- 2016-02-26 Official The FIFA Congress in Zurich elected Gianni Infantino president with 115 of 207 votes in the second round, ahead of Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa with 88. Swissinfo report
- 2022-02-28 Official FIFA indefinitely suspended Russia's men's and women's national teams, and UEFA, in a joint statement, removed Russian clubs from its competitions. ESPN report
- 2022-03-18 Ruled The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the Russian football federation's request for an urgent ruling to freeze FIFA's ban, keeping Russia out of its World Cup playoff against Poland. ESPN report
- 2024-12-11 Official An extraordinary FIFA Congress confirmed Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup; bidding had been limited to the Asian and Oceania confederations, and Saudi Arabia was the sole bidder. ESPN report
- 2025-12-05 Reported Infantino presented President Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. Human Rights Watch said Trump's record did not reflect the award's stated criteria, and FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment. Al Jazeera report