FIFA is the acronym for Federation Internationale de Football Association or the International Federation of Association Football. It is the highest governing body of football, which includes association football, beach soccer and futsal as well as efootball.

FIFA was founded in May 21, 1904 in Paris with the motto, “For the Fame. For the People.” It is home to more than a hundred personnel and six subsidiaries and is affiliated with the International Football Association Board and the International Olympic Committee. Its headquarters is located in Zurich.

At present, FIFA is home to 211 national football associations and is the lead non-profit organization that is forwarding the face of football in the international scene.

FIFA History

It was in the beginning of the 20th century when the need for a single body to govern association football was seen. This was due to the increasing popularity of international competitions. The need eventually led to the creation of FIFA at the headquarters of the USFSA in Paris in 1904. Its founding members included Switzerland, Sweden and Spain as well as the Netherlands, France, Denmark and Belgium. The national association of Germany also made its intention of joining through a telegram during this time.

FIFA then staged its first tournament for the Olympics that was held in London in 1908. By 1909, membership expanded beyond Europe and included South Africa. From 1912-1914 Chile, Canada and the United States as well as Argentina were made members of the international association.

When World War I struck, majority of the players were sent to war and travel bans were employed. This made it impossible for FIFA to organize and hold tournaments. It was during the post-war years and with the help of Carl Hirschmann that FIFA began to rise again right after a withdrawal from United Kingdom’s Home Nations from international tournaments.

In 1930, the first ever World Cup was held in Montevideo, Uraguay.

FIFA Competitions

FIFA governs several competitions. These include seven men and five women’s competitions for national teams, three competitions for clubs and another three competitions for eSports.

National team competitions for men include the FIFA World Cup, Men’s Olympic Football Tournament and the FIFA U-20 World Cup as well as the Boy’s Youth Olympic Football Tournament, FIFA Futsal World Cup and FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

For the women’s category under the national teams, competitions include the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Women’s Olympic Football Tournament and FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup as well as the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the Girls’ Youth Olympic Football Tournament.