FIFA World Cup

FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association. In English, this translates to the International Association Football Federation.

FIFA routinely updates the Laws of the Game through the IFAB (International Football Association Board). Recent significant implementations include Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) to speed up VAR (Video Assistant Referee) decisions, strict enforcements on goalkeeper behavior during penalty kicks (preventing them from distracting the kicker), and calculating highly accurate stoppage time to reduce time-wasting.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. For the first time in history, it will be jointly hosted by three nations: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Gianni Infantino Gianni Infantino is the current president of FIFA. He took office in February 2016.

11 cities 11 cities in the United States have been selected to host matches for the 2026 World Cup (including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, and New York/New Jersey).

"FIFA's boy" is not an official term. It is a colloquial, highly subjective phrase used in online banter by football fans who believe a specific star player receives preferential treatment, favorable refereeing, or structural advantages from FIFA. Historically, fans of Cristiano Ronaldo have sometimes directed this term toward Lionel Messi, and vice versa.

FIFA's headquarters, known as the Home of FIFA, is located in Zurich, Switzerland.

The 2030 World Cup will have an unprecedented intercontinental format. The main hosts are Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. However, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup, the opening three matches will be held in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.

Saudi Arabia is currently the sole bidder for the 2034 FIFA World Cup and is effectively confirmed as the host nation.

While the exact venue has not been officially confirmed by FIFA yet, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain (home of Real Madrid), is heavily favored and widely expected to host the 2030 final.