Shaping world soccer and the World Cup
The creation of FIFA was a response to the rapid growth in popularity of soccer in the early XX century. Initially, the English Football Association tried to coordinate international competitions, but European countries decided to create an independent governing body, writes Focus. The founders of the federation were France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Soon they were joined by Germany, England, Italy and Austria. The first president of the organization was Frenchman Robert Guerin.
The real breakthrough for FIFA occurred after Jules Rimet came to the leadership in 1921. It was he who promoted the idea of a separate world tournament among the national teams. Already in 1930 in Uruguay held the first World Cup, the winner of which was the host team. Despite the economic crisis and the refusal of a number of European teams to travel across the Atlantic, the tournament was successful and laid the foundation for the largest soccer event on the planet.
Today FIFA includes 208 national associations divided into six confederations – from European UEFA to South American CONMEBOL and Asian AFC. The organization even surpasses the UN in the number of members.
Modern FIFA: influence, commerce and scandals
However, in the 21st century, FIFA is increasingly associated not only with soccer, but also with high-profile corruption investigations. In 2015, the US and Swiss authorities launched a large-scale investigation against senior officials of the federation on charges of bribery, fraud and money laundering. The investigation claimed that FIFA functionaries received bribes worth about 150 million dollars and also influenced the selection of the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups – Russia and Qatar.
One of the central figures in the scandal was former FIFA president Sepp Blatter. He was accused of illegally paying two million Swiss francs to former UEFA head Michel Platini. In March 2025, a Swiss court finally upheld the acquittal.
Under current president Gianni Infantino, the organization continues to expand its commercial and political influence. FIFA is increasing the number of World Cup participants, launching new club tournaments and turning Mundial finals into massive world-class shows. The 2026 World Cup finals in the United States are already being hailed as one of the most commercially intense in the tournament’s history, with massive musical performances by international stars and record-breaking sponsorship contracts.
In 122 years, FIFA has gone from a small European federation to a global organization with billions of dollars in revenues, political influence and constant attention from fans, governments and law enforcement agencies.
