FIFA was founded on Saturday, 21 May 1904 in a building at 229 rue Saint Honoré in Paris’ 1st arrondissement where. It has since grown into a global organisation comprising 211 FIFA Member Associations and which has organised tournaments in each of the six continental confederations.
FIFA now has 211 MAs, football has become truly global, played in every corner of the planet. Even FIFA’s footprint is becoming global with offices in Zurich, Paris, Miami and Jakarta – and also with a Regional Development Office network that spans all the continents and supports its work with the 211 MA,
On football development, since 2016 when the FIFA Forward Development Programme was launched, approximately USD 2.8 billion was made available for investment in FIFA’s 211 member associations, as well as in the confederations and the various zonal/regional associations, to significantly bolster football development in their territories.
As well as showcasing the very best the beautiful game has to offer, FIFA’s tournaments drive the sport’s development.
The FIFA World Cup™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup™ offer a shot at global glory to the game’s top nations, while elite clubs come together to contest the FIFA Club World Cup.
The FIFA U-17 and U-20 World Cups and their female equivalents have a well-earned reputation for helping develop superstars-in-the-making, while the FIFA Futsal World Cup™ and FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ provide a platform for the crème de la crème of these thrilling disciplines.
Major Milestones in the History of FIFA
1904: The creation of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in Paris, France, with Robert Guérin named the first FIFA President. The organisation is formed with seven members (Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland).
1906: First FIFA office opened in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
1910: An association representing South Africa becomes a member of FIFA in 1910, but this entity would later withdraw from FIFA in 1924 leaving Egypt as the longest-tenured African nation in FIFA, having joined in 1923.
1912: Argentina and Chile become the first members from South America in 1912 and 1913 respectively.
1913: FIFA joins The International Football Association Board (The IFAB).
1914: Canada and the United States are the initial members from North America, both joining FIFA in 1914, with FIFA numbering 24 members upon the outbreak of World War I.
1924: FIFA creates a list of 34 international referees from nine countries “recommended by their respective National Associations to be capable to lead International Matches”; Asia is first represented by the Dutch East Indies association, which would leave FIFA at a later date, resulting in Thailand being the longest-serving member from that continent having joined in 1925.
1928: The launch of the FIFA World Cup™ approved at the 17th Ordinary FIFA Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
1930: First FIFA World Cup involving 13 teams is held in Uruguay with the hosts winning – and being the first to raise the Jules Rimet Trophy™ as victors.
1932: FIFA moves its office from Amsterdam to Zurich, Switzerland.
1948: FIFA organises in London – in conjunction with The Football Association – the first course for referees, as membership of the organisation now extends to 68, with New Zealand becoming the first member to represent Oceania.
1950: 27th Ordinary FIFA Congress takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the first held outside of Europe.
1958: The 16-nation FIFA World Cup in Sweden is the first in which all sides in a four-team group face each other and the top two progress to the quarter-finals.
1960: All forms of discrimination condemned at the 32nd Ordinary FIFA Congress in Rome, Italy.
1962: The number of member associations affiliated to FIFA passes 100.
1967: FIFA hires its first coach, Dettmar Cramer of the Federal Republic of Germany.
1970: Yellow and red card system launched at the FIFA World Cup in Mexico – a tournament that provided Brazil with their third title and the opportunity to keep the Jules Rimet Trophy.
1974: The new FIFA World Cup Trophy™ is presented for the first time.
1977: First FIFA World Youth Championship (later renamed FIFA U-20 World Cup™) held.
1982: The number of entrants for the FIFA World Cup exceeds 100 for the first time as 103 countries participate in qualifying.
1982: The FIFA World Cup expands to 24 teams.
1985: First FIFA U-16 World Championship held (later reorganised as the FIFA U-17 World Cup™).
1986: The round of 16 – not seen at a FIFA World Cup since 1938 – is reintroduced at the tournament in Mexico.
1989: First FIFA Futsal World Cup™ held.
1991: First FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (then titled the 1st FIFA World Championship for Women’s Football) involving 12 teams is held in China PR with the United States crowned champions.
1993: Computer game FIFA International Soccer is released.
1998: The number of FIFA Member Associations passes 200, with membership standing at 203.
1998: The FIFA World Cup increases to 32 teams
2000: First FIFA Club World Championship held (later reorganised as the FIFA Club World Cup™).
2002: First FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship held (later reorganised as the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™).
The 2002 FIFA World Cup is held in Korea/Japan, which was the first to be held in Asia, the first to be held outside of the Americas or Europe, as well as the first to be jointly hosted by more than one nation.
2004: First FIFA Interactive World Cup (later reorganised as the FIFA eWorld Cup™) is held.
2005: FIFA take over the running of the rebranded FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™.
2008: Launch of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™.
2015: The FIFA Women’s World Cup increases to 24 teams.
2016: Gianni Infantino elected as the ninth FIFA President and soon after membership increases to 211 FIFA Member Associations at the 66th Ordinary FIFA Congress in Mexico City, while FIFA Forward is launched and Fatma Samoura is appointed as the tenth FIFA Secretary General and the first woman.
2018: Video assistant referee (VAR) system is launched at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018™.
2018: The FIFA Foundation is established to help promote positive social change around the world.
2023: An expanded 32-team FIFA Women’s World Cup takes place in Australia and New Zealand to global acclaim – a transformational tournament for women’s football.
2025: The new 32-team FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to take place in the United States.
2026: An expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States – the greatest show on the planet.
Legends celebrate FIFA's birthday
FIFA was born on 21 May 1904 and with world football’s governing body
celebrating its 120th anniversary today, a host of FIFA Legends took time out to
look back at some of their most memorable moments.
Cafu, Brazil: “My fondest (FIFA) World Cup memory is lifting the World Cup in
2002. Nothing tops that. Being the world champion in 2002 and lifting the trophy.
Fantastic!”
Carli Lloyd, USA: “I'd have to say the 2015 [FIFA Women’s] World Cup. We hadn't
won since the 1999 Women's World Cup, so it had been 16 long years, and the
momentum was building. We had lost in 2011 to Japan in the Final, and then
played them in the 2015 Final. And it was just … in epic fashion… winning 5-2 and
just an unbelievable moment in Vancouver, Canada.”
David Trezeguet, France: “For me, the most important moment was winning the
(FIFA) World Cup in 1998 with France, and then on an emotional level I was able
to experience the Champs-Élysées. There was a huge crowd and it was a huge
party. In France, beyond the football itself, there was a great social union, on a
cultural and religious level, and it was a very important event.”
Anja Mittag, Germany: “My best memory is winning the [FIFA Women’s World
Cup] title with Germany in China in 2007. That’s definitely one of the most
memorable experiences I could have had. The whole tournament, being there,
experiencing everything. But also the junior tournaments: Playing an U-19 World
Cup for the first time, which, back then, was still an U-19 tournament. And to
partake in that, which incidentally took place in Thailand, was one of my most
treasured experiences.”
Aya Miyama, Japan: “My favourite FIFA tournament memory is the tournament
[FIFA World Cup] in France in 1998. At that time, I watched all the games in the
tournament on TV in Japan for the first time.”
Gaelle Enganamouit, Cameroon: “My favourite memory was back on the 8th of
June at Canada 2015. It was the day before my birthday, and we played on the
night of 8th/ 9th of June. As I was born on the 9th of June, it was like a birthday
gift to me to be playing in my first ever FIFA game. That’s my favourite football
memory. I scored a hat-trick, so it was a nice birthday present.”
Christian Karembeu, New Caledonia: “I have followed several World Cups and I
have many images in mind. My first World Cup experience was watching it on TV,
when I saw Diego Maradona lifting his first World Cup trophy with Argentina. I’ve
admittedly managed to take part in a World Cup as a professional [footballer]
with Les Bleus in France, and that competition was unifying for the country.”
Sami Khedira, Germany: “It’s no big secret: the 2014 World Cup in Brazil! The two
main things I remember are the Final that we managed to win and getting our
hands on that beautiful trophy, and of course the legendary semi-final that we
won 7-1 against Brazil. Not just the scoreline, but also the way we won. It was
such a fantastic experience for us Germans that we will never forget.”
Alessandro Altobelli, Italy: “Winning the (FIFA) World Cup in 1982 in Spain. When
the referee blew the final whistle, we all breathed a sigh of relief and dropped to
the ground. We won the (FIFA) World Cup, after beating Argentina, Brazil and
Germany. It was such an achievement.”
Mehdi Mahdavikia, IR Iran: “My favourite memory of a FIFA tournament is the
World Cup 1998 in France. It was the first time I played for my national team at a
World Cup and it was the first time we qualified in 20 years. I was a young player
and I scored a goal against the United States at the age of 21. It was a very special
moment for me.”
John Obi Mikel, Nigeria: “I think 2014 in Brazil was pretty special. It’s always
special when you play a tournament in Brazil, the country that has won the most
(FIFA) World Cups. Brazil is always a country where football is special. People
enjoy, live, breathe, eat football, so for me to be able to participate in a World
Cup there was pretty special for me.”
Formiga, Brazil: “One of the memories that I have from the FIFA (Women’s)
World Cup is from 1995, which was my first time taking part at 17 years of age. I
was learning the ropes at that time. Another memory that I have is from 2007,
not just the semi-final, but the Final as well. We asked for support from Brazil
because we needed you [Brazil] out there on the pitch, those are the memories
that I have.”
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