Global and Continental Football Governing Bodies

Association football is governed by a global federation and six continental confederations. Together, these bodies frame international rules, organise regional competitions, and manage qualification pathways across men’s and women’s football.

For prelims revision, the key points are FIFA’s global role, the structure of each continental confederation, and the standard headquarters, founding years, and leadership names associated with them.

Global Governance: FIFA

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is the world governing body for football, futsal, and beach soccer. It coordinates international play and sets administrative regulations for member associations.

• Founded: 1904, in Paris.
• Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland.
• Supreme body: FIFA Congress, consisting of all 211 member associations.
• Leadership: Gianni Infantino has been president since 2016.
• Election timeline: The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 2027, with nomination deadline set for November 18, 2026.

Europe and Africa: UEFA and CAF

UEFA and CAF oversee football in Europe and Africa respectively, running continental competitions and coordinating regional administration.

• UEFA: Union of European Football Associations; founded in 1954; headquartered in Nyon, Switzerland.
• UEFA president: Aleksander Čeferin, in office since 2016.
• CAF: Confédération Africaine de Football; founded in 1957; headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.
• CAF president: Patrice Motsepe of South Africa; re-elected unopposed in March 2025, with term running until 2029.
• CAF issue noted in the source: A dispute is linked to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final and a CAS appeal over a walkover decision.

CAF is one of the six continental confederations, and CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) in Lausanne is the sports tribunal mentioned in the source.

Asia and North America: AFC and CONCACAF

AFC and CONCACAF cover two large and commercially important football regions, spanning Asia-Pacific and the Americas.

• AFC: Asian Football Confederation; founded in 1954; headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• AFC president: Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, in office since 2013.
• Membership: AFC has 47 member associations across Asia and Australia.
• CONCACAF: Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football; founded in 1961; headquartered in Miami, USA.
• CONCACAF president: Victor Montagliani of Canada, in office since 2016.
• Leadership note: Montagliani is mentioned in the source as having rejected the FFE proposal and as a prospective FIFA presidency challenger.

South America and Oceania: CONMEBOL and OFC

CONMEBOL and OFC represent the South American and Oceanian football systems. Though smaller in membership, they remain important in global governance and competition planning.

• CONMEBOL: Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; founded in 1916; headquartered in Luque, Paraguay.
• CONMEBOL president: Alejandro Domínguez.
• Source note: Domínguez has proposed expanding the 2030 World Cup to a 64-team tournament.
• Partnership note: On September 3, 2026, CONMEBOL and FIFPRO announced an educational partnership against racism in South American football.
• OFC: Oceania Football Confederation; founded in 1966; headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand.
• OFC president: Lambert Maltock of Vanuatu.
• Source note: The OFC executive committee supported FIFA’s current leadership, while New Zealand Football withdrew its support for Infantino’s 2027 re-election.

Commercial Rights and the FFE Proposal

The source highlights a commercial rights dispute connected with FIFA. The proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan aimed to monetise tournament rights through a commercial subsidiary.

• Proposal: Sale of up to a 20% stake in the commercial rights of FIFA competitions.
• Estimated value: About USD 20 billion.
• Outcome: FIFA withdrew the proposal in late July 2026.
• Reason for criticism: The plan drew backlash over transparency and governance concerns, especially from European and Asian confederations.
• Legal angle in the source: UEFA sought discovery in U.S. federal courts related to the proposal and its documents.

FIFA is described in the source as an association under Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code.

Comparative Overview of the Six Confederations

Key Prelims Takeaways

• Global body: FIFA governs football, futsal, and beach soccer worldwide.
• FIFA basics: Founded in 1904; headquarters in Zurich; 211 member associations in the FIFA Congress.
• Next FIFA election: March 2027, with nomination deadline on November 18, 2026.
• Six confederations: UEFA, CAF, AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC divide world football regionally.
• Important headquarters: Nyon, Cairo, Kuala Lumpur, Miami, Luque, and Auckland.
• Key officials: Gianni Infantino, Aleksander Čeferin, Patrice Motsepe, Shaikh Salman, Victor Montagliani, Alejandro Domínguez, and Lambert Maltock.
• Exam-relevant term: CAS stands for Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Lausanne.