FIFA’s Post

The ladies are kicking a**. There is no denying that. But by how much? 👀 As football fans, it is impossible to overlook the momentum of the girls playing the beautiful game. I went to dig for some statistics. And they speak volumes: 🌐 Women and girls playing organized football in 2023 surged by nearly 25% since 2019, reaching a remarkable 16.6 million! 🏴34% of women’s top-tier senior domestic competitions have a dedicated women’s football sponsor 💰 The UEFA Women's Champions League winner can now earn up to €1.4 million (depending on its results in the group stage) ⚽ 88% of FIFA member associations now have a dedicated women's football strategy in place. 🏆 The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023’s average attendance for the tournament was 30,911, up from 21,756 at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. These figures are just a glimpse of the immense surge in popularity, quality, and influence of women's football. 💬 With this progress, will we ever see women’s football have the same almost at par relationship with men’s football, as in tennis? #BeautifulGame #WomenInFootball #EmpowerHerGame #womenssoccer

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DO YOU KNOW? Football has a long and storied history in the Summer Olympics. It was included as a men's competition sport in every Summer Games except the inaugural 1896 Games and the 1932 Games, the latter exclusion made to promote the new FIFA World Cup tournament. Women's football was added to the Olympic program at the Atlanta 1996 Games. Over the years, the men's tournament has seen many elite players, but to avoid competition with the World Cup, FIFA has imposed age restrictions: teams must be composed of players under 23, with three exceptions allowed per squad. The women's football tournament, in contrast, is a full senior-level international competition, second in prestige only to the FIFA Women's World Cup. This has allowed for some of the sport's greatest players, such as Marta and Alex Morgan, to participate and shine on this global stage. The men’s tournament has seen shifts in dominance from European teams to African and Latin American teams since the 1992 Barcelona Games, reflecting the evolving landscape of international football. Countdown #Paris2024 #OlympicGames

FIFA Women's World Cup 2027: It had to be America A few months ago, Brasil was appointed as FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 hosts (https://lnkd.in/dnHniBrd). I must admit, I was expecting the US/Mex bid to win until they dropped out. With so much happening in North America lately, it seemed like the right time and place. However, their plan to bid for 2031 with the same investment as a Men's World Cup will be definitely something to watch (https://lnkd.in/dvirtXet). Anyway, it was the right time for FIFA’s American members to vote for Brazil as new hosts and celebrate football. The strategic move by FIFA. It had to be America FIFA has made a smart move with the Women’s World Cup, and the future looks exciting. France 2019 was a game-changer, breaking records and giving a big push to European Women’s Football to evolve drastically (although some stakeholders realized/are realizing years after that, what else do they need?). Australia & New Zealand 2023 proved that Women’s Football is here to stay, even if the time zones made it hard for European and American fans to catch all the action. Football has always reigned in Europe and Latin America. Given the growing industry of women’s football, Brasil stands out as the ideal choice to host the next major football event, setting the stage for a monumental breakthrough. The first Women’s World Cup with an industry behind it In three years, women’s football is set to break even more records: major sponsorship deals, player transfers exceeding €1M (who will be the first one?), broadcasting and sponsorship agreements due to specific Women’s Football expertise (ie. UEFA deal with Two Circles is another one to follow), new brands finally getting in, and investments from investment groups like Kynisca, Mercury/13, as well as many more new players/VC/funds investing with both independent and non-independent clubs to further boost the sport. By 2027, women’s football will no longer be an emerging opportunity (it isn't already) but a fully established industry. Brasil's WWC 2027 will be the first Women's World Cup backed by a mature industry. What’s next for 2031? USA & Mex or UK? And then, what? Looking ahead, bids are already coming in from the UK, Saudi Arabia, and a joint USA/Mexico bid. The race for 2031 will likely come down to the UK or the US. After that, it will be time for Africa to take the spotlight. FIFA’s decision to appoint Brazil as the host for 2027 shows their commitment to growing women’s football and ensuring it gets the global attention it deserves. With the strong foundations laid by previous tournaments and the booming industry, the present (and future) of women’s football is bright (and looks incredibly brighter).

Is it time for other leagues to be put on hold during tournaments like the African Nation Cup and Asian Cup to ensure fairness and inclusivity? Professional players in Latin America and Europe often have the luxury of taking time off to represent their countries in prestigious tournaments like the World Cup Copa America, and Euro Cup. However, African and Asian players face a different challenge. They are required to participate in their respective continental tournaments during the peak seasons of their professional leagues, which means they have to juggle high-stress games while dealing with mental and physical strain. Additionally, these tournaments lack the same level of publicity, advertisements, and awareness as the more globally recognized competitions. They are often only known to those who closely follow football or soccer. Considering these factors, it raises the question of whether it's time for other leagues to temporarily pause their activities during these continental tournaments. This would not only create a level playing field for all players but also ensure fairness and inclusivity across different parts of the world. FIFA FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States Gianni Infantino

One More Time France Cheats Moroccan Soccer Team. France cheated on the Moroccan soccer team during the last World Cup, and now at the 2024 Olympic Games, a goal was disallowed by VAR for offside. Morocco held on for a 2-1 victory. The 2022 World Cup semi-final between France and Morocco was already filled with controversy. One of the key incidents involved a challenge by France’s Theo Hernandez on Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal, which many felt should have resulted in a penalty for Morocco. Instead, the referee awarded a free kick to France and booked Boufal. This decision led to significant frustration among Moroccan fans and officials, who felt that the officiating was unfair. The presence of Macron at this event was unusual and suspicious. Morocco even lodged an official complaint with FIFA regarding the referee’s performance, citing poor officiating as a major factor in their 2-0 loss to France. This incident has added to the historical and emotional complexities between the two nations, given their colonial past. The recent match between Morocco and Argentina at the 2024 Olympic Games was indeed dramatic, with Morocco securing a 2-1 victory after a controversial VAR decision disallowed Argentina’s late goal. This incident has sparked discussions and emotions among fans, especially given Morocco’s impressive performance in recent international tournaments. Why France wants to put down Moroccan Soccer team by any means? Colonialism is over. Right or wrong? What are your thoughts on this? #Morocco #soccer #olympics #france #worldcup

The Euro 2024 final has left many heartbroken, but let's talk about the heartbreak for women’s football. Media outlets and fans have stirred an online backlash by labelling Gareth Southgate as “the only England manager to reach two major international finals.” While these statements have good intentions and are not intended to undermine Serena Wiegman's team's successes of reaching the recent Euro's and World Cup finals, they can leave fans and players of the women’s game feeling overlooked. How can we address this issue? Let's first examine the competitions below and spot the difference: ️⚽️ Premier League / Women’s Super League ️⚽️ UEFA European Championship / UEFA European Women’s Championship ️⚽️ UEFA Champions League / UEFA Women’s Champions League ️⚽️ FIFA World Cup / FIFA Women’s World Cup ️⚽️ Emirates FA Cup / Adobe Women’s FA Cup What did you notice? ... only the women’s competitions specify the gender of participants. At a recent SportsPro conference, NewCo CEO Nikki Doucet discussed the idea of including “men’s” in the titles of men’s competitions. She believes this rebranding could create equitable opportunities for both men’s and women’s sports to be valued equally. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this idea - do you agree?? #womensfootball #womenssoccer #nikkidoucet #euros2024

UEFA vs. FIFA 8:48 UEFA announced the new format of UEFA European U-17 and U-17 championships on 26 September 2023 (https://lnkd.in/dB6P5Nac & https://lnkd.in/dePMs7_c — last updated: Sunday, April 7, 2024). In particular, UEFA decreased the number of participants in the U-17 final tournament from 16 to 8 beginning on 2025. FIFA reported about changes to FIFA World Cup U-17 on 14 March 2024 (https://lnkd.in/dnCMsUDe). Since 2025, the number of participants of the tournament will increase from 24 to 48. The championship will also be held annually rather than biennially from 2025. Meanwhile, the U-17 tournament was played for odd dates of birth, and the FIFA U-20 World Cup was conducted for evens. The new format has not yet been announced. The number of UEFA’s participants is unknown. In the last competition, 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, five European association teams played (https://lnkd.in/df56PtyZ). UEFA reduced twice the number of teams in the U-17 tournament. FIFA expanded it double. Gigantomania on the march!? #nationalteam

A shame that one of Soccer's great stars, Erling Haalaand might never play at the FIFA Men's World Cup except FIFA/EUFA changes something (rules) critically. I know we got more teams for 2026 but its not a given Norway will make it. With a new era of football stars birthed, that change is critical to the global marketability and appeal of the sport. If he misses 2026, he's going to be 29 when the next WC takes place in Morocco/Portugal and Spain, 2030. Every sport needs its stars at the BIGGEST stage. #SoccerBiz #SportMarketability #SportMarketing

One More Time France Cheats Moroccan Soccer Team. France cheated on the Moroccan soccer team during the last World Cup, and now at the 2024 Olympic Games, a goal was disallowed by VAR for offside. Morocco held on for a 2-1 victory. The 2022 World Cup semi-final between France and Morocco was indeed filled with controversy. One of the key incidents involved a challenge by France’s Theo Hernandez on Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal, which many felt should have resulted in a penalty for Morocco. Instead, the referee awarded a free kick to France and booked Boufal. This decision led to significant frustration among Moroccan fans and officials, who felt that the officiating was unfair. The presence of Macron at this event was unusual and suspicious. Morocco even lodged an official complaint with FIFA regarding the referee’s performance, citing poor officiating as a major factor in their 2-0 loss to France. This incident has added to the historical and emotional complexities between the two nations, given their colonial past. The recent match between Morocco and Argentina at the 2024 Olympic Games was indeed dramatic, with Morocco securing a 2-1 victory after a controversial VAR decision disallowed Argentina’s late goal. This incident has sparked discussions and emotions among fans, especially given Morocco’s impressive performance in recent international tournaments. Why France wants to put down Moroccan Soccer team by any means? Colonialism is over. Right or wrong? What are your thoughts on this? #Morocco #soccer #olympics #france #worldcup