International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)
FIFA transformed a scattered collection of regional football traditions into the world’s largest sporting ecosystem, where talent pipelines, national dreams, and global rivalries all crash into each other every four years.
FIFA Basics
- Global governing body for football, running World Cups and overseeing competition.
- Sets rules, manages rankings, and regulates the transfer and eligibility systems worldwide.
- Coordinates all 200+ national associations, shaping talent development and global football culture.
How Football Works
Football is a 90-minute game where two teams try to score by kicking the ball into the opponent’s net. Players move the ball through passing, dribbling, and quick attacks, while defenses protect space and pressure the ball. The match rarely stops, so momentum, movement, and teamwork drive everything.
Competition Rules & Structure
FIFA oversees international football but does not run a weekly league. Instead, it governs national teams, major tournaments, and the rules of the game worldwide. Matches are 90 minutes and must follow the Laws of the Game used everywhere. World Cup qualification runs through each continent’s confederation, and the World Cup itself is a final tournament of the top national teams from around the world.
A Quick History of Football
WORLD FOOTBALL INDEX
Accra (Ghana) | Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) | Amsterdam (Netherlands) | Athens (Greece) | Bangkok (Thailand) | Barcelona (Spain) | Beijing (China) | Berlin (Germany) | Bogota (Colombia) | Buenos Aires (Argentina) | Cairo (Egypt) | Casablanca (Morocco) | Copenhagen (Denmark) | Doha (Qatar) | Dubai (United Arab Emirates) | Dublin (Ireland) | Delhi (India) | Edinburgh / Glasgow (Scotland) | Havana (Cuba) | Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon (Vietnam) | Istanbul (Turkey) | Jakarta (Indonesia) | Johannesburg (South Africa) | Karachi (Pakistan) | Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) | Lagos (Nigeria) | Lima (Peru) | London (England) | Lyon (France) | Madrid (Spain) | Manchester (England) | Manila (Philippines) | Melbourne (Australia) | Mexico City (Mexico) | Milan (Italy) | Moscow (Russia) | Mumbai (India) | Munich (Germany) | Nairobi (Kenya) | Paris (France) | Rome (Italy) | Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) | Santiago (Chile) | Sao Paolo (Brazil) | Seoul (South Korea) | Shanghai (China) | Stockholm (Sweden) | Sydney (Australia) | Taipei (Taiwan) | Tel Aviv (Israel) | Tokyo (Japan) | Vienna (Austria) | Warsaw (Poland) | Zurich (Switzerland)
Angola | Benin | Botswana | Burkina Faso | Burundi | Cameroon | Cape Verde | Central African Republic | Chad | Comoros | Congo | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Djibouti | Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea | Ethiopia | Gabon | Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Ivory Coast | Kenya | Lesotho | Liberia | Madagascar | Malawi | Mali | Mauritania | Mauritius | Mozambique | Namibia | Niger | Nigeria | Rwanda | Sao Tome and Principe | Senegal | Seychelles | Sierra Leone | South Africa | South Sudan | Sudan | Swaziland (Eswatini) | Tanzania | Togo | Uganda | Zambia | Zimbabwe
Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Canada | Chile | Colombia | Ecuador | Guyana | Mexico | Paraguay | Peru | Suriname | United States of America | Uruguay | Venezuela
Bangladesh | Bhutan | Brunei | Cambodia | China | India | Indonesia | Japan | Kazakhstan | Kyrgyzstan | Laos | Malaysia | Maldives | Mongolia | Myanmar | Nepal | North Korea | Philippines | Singapore | South Korea | Sri Lanka | Taiwan | Tajikistan | Thailand | Turkmenistan | Uzbekistan | Vietnam
Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | El Salvador | Grenada | Guatemala | Haiti | Honduras | Jamaica | Nicaragua | Panama | Puerto Rico | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago
Albania | Andorra | Armenia | Austria | Belarus | Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark | England | Estonia | Finland | France | Georgia | Germany | Greece | Hungary | Iceland | Ireland | Italy | Kosovo | Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Malta | Moldova | Monaco | Montenegro | Netherlands | North Macedonia | Northern Ireland | Norway | Poland | Portugal | Romania | Russia | San Marino | Scotland | Serbia | Slovakia | Slovenia | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Ukraine | United Kingdom | Vatican City | Wales
Afghanistan | Algeria | Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Egypt | Iran | Iraq | Israel | Jordan | Kuwait | Lebanon | Libya | Morocco | Oman | Pakistan | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Somalia | Syria | Tunisia | Turkey | United Arab Emirates | Yemen
Australia | East Timor | Fiji | Kiribati | Marshall Islands | Micronesia | Nauru | Palau | Papua New Guinea | Samoa | Solomon Islands | Tonga | Tuvalu | Vanuatu
NORTH AMERICA
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia (DC) | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Puerto Rico | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Alberta | British Columbia | Manitoba | New Brunswick | Newfoundland and Labrador | Nova Scotia | Ontario | Prince Edward Island | Quebec | Saskatchewan | Northwest Territories | Nunavut | Yukon
Atlanta | Austin / San Antonio | Baltimore / Washington DC | Bay Area (Oakland / San Francisco / San Jose) | Boston | Buffalo | Calgary | Charlotte | Chicago | Cincinnati | Cleveland / Columbus | Dallas | Denver | Detroit | Edmonton | Houston | Indianapolis | Jacksonville | Kansas City | Las Vegas | Los Angeles / San Diego | Memphis | Miami | Milwaukee | Minneapolis | Montreal | Nashville | New Orleans | New York City | Oklahoma City | Orlando | Ottawa | Philadelphia | Phoenix | Pittsburgh | Portland | Raleigh | Sacramento | Salt Lake City | Seattle | St. Louis | Tampa Bay | Toronto | Vancouver | Winnipeg