FIFA Congress

• 1. Founding And Early Years

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  The first FIFA Congress convened in Paris on the 21st of May 1904. Seven national associations sent representatives to that initial meeting. Robert Guérin stood before them and was elected as the first president of the organization. Only five member nations participated in this gathering. The attendees included France, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, and the Netherlands. They established rules for international football governance. Subsequent meetings followed a pattern of biennial gatherings. The second congress took place in 1905 with five members present. By 1908, sixteen nations attended the Vienna meeting. Growth remained slow during these early decades. The eleventh congress in Christiania (now Oslo) marked the last meeting before World War I. Seventeen countries were represented at that session.

• 2. Wartime Interruptions

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  Global conflicts halted all official congress activities between 1915 and 1922. No meetings occurred during those seven years. The twelfth congress finally reconvened in Geneva in 1923. Seventeen member associations returned to the table after the war ended. A similar disruption happened from 1939 until 1945. The twenty-fourth congress in Paris served as the final meeting before World War II began. The twenty-fifth congress held in Luxembourg in 1946 reopened operations after global hostilities ceased. Thirty-four national associations attended that post-war session. These interruptions created significant gaps in organizational continuity. Leaders had to rebuild trust and structure over time. The absence of regular meetings allowed other bodies to emerge without FIFA oversight.

• 3. Evolution Of Voting Rights

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  Five founding nations established voting rights for the original organization. Today, two hundred eleven member associations hold equal voting power. Each nation receives exactly one vote regardless of size or wealth. The number of attendees grew steadily through the mid-twentieth century. By 1950, thirty-five nations participated in the Rio de Janeiro congress. Membership reached fifty-seven by 1956 when Lisbon hosted the thirtieth congress. One hundred nine countries joined by 1978 at the Buenos Aires gathering. Two hundred twelve nations now participate in these legislative sessions. This expansion reflects football's global spread across continents. Smaller nations gained influence alongside traditional European powers. The balance shifted as African and Asian associations joined the fold.

• 4. Presidential Elections History

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  The first presidential election occurred during the inaugural 1904 Paris meeting. Robert Guérin won that initial contest. Jules Rimet became president following the twelfth congress in Geneva in 1923. Stanley Rous took office after the 1961 extraordinary session in London. Arthur Drewry was elected during the thirtieth congress held in Lisbon in 1956. João Havelange secured his first term at the thirty-ninth congress in Frankfurt in 1974. He served five consecutive terms until 1998. Sepp Blatter won the presidency at the fifty-first congress in Paris in 1998. Only five elections featured multiple candidates throughout history. These contested votes happened at the thirty-ninth, fifty-first, fifty-third, sixty-fifth, and 2016 Extraordinary Congresses. Gianni Infantino was elected during the 2016 Extraordinary Congress on the 26th of February 2016. Issa Hayatou acted as president while Blatter remained suspended from duty.

• 5. Host Selection Processes

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  Congress members vote to choose host nations for major tournaments. Uruguay received the hosting rights for the 1930 World Cup at the eighteenth congress in Barcelona. Italy won the bid for the 1934 tournament during the twenty-first meeting in Berlin. France hosted the 1938 edition following selection at the twenty-third congress in Berlin. Brazil became the host for the 1950 World Cup after voting at the twenty-fifth congress in Luxembourg. Switzerland took over for the 1954 event at that same session. Sweden secured the 1958 tournament during the twenty-seventh congress in Rio de Janeiro. England hosted the 1966 competition after winning the vote at the thirty-second congress in Tokyo. The United States won the 1994 bid at the forty-sixth congress in Zürich. Japan and South Korea jointly hosted the 2002 World Cup following the fiftieth congress in Zürich. Germany hosted the 2006 tournament after selection at the fifty-second congress in Lisbon. South Africa won the 2010 bid at the fifty-fourth congress in Paris. The United States, Mexico, and Canada were selected as hosts for the 2026 tournament during the sixty-eighth congress in Moscow.

• 6. Shift To Annual Meetings

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  Congress meetings occurred every two years from 1904 until 1997. The frequency changed starting with the fifty-first congress held in Paris in 1998. This shift to annual ordinary congresses began that year. No biennial gaps existed between 1998 and subsequent sessions. The organization now holds one regular meeting each calendar year. Extraordinary congresses may be convened by the FIFA Council when needed. These special sessions require support from one fifth of all members. Nine extraordinary congresses have taken place since the founding. They included meetings in Brussels in 1908, Paris in 1953, London in 1961, Los Angeles in 1999, Buenos Aires in 2001, Seoul in 2002, Doha in 2003, Zürich in 2016, and an online session in 2024. The annual rhythm allows more frequent decision-making on global football matters.