Written by Mihdi Agbaw
Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the international governing body of football, is transferring at least 100 jobs from its headquarters in Switzerland to Florida. In the Sunshine State, FIFA’s employees have been preparing for the 2026 World Cup that will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
On Tuesday, FIFA notified staff that the risk management, audit, and compliance teams would move to Coral Gables, Florida, near Miami, which has grown in popularity due to Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami, a Major League Soccer team.
Once the staff teams execute their move, FIFA plans for them to be up and running by the summer of 2024. Instead of entrusting host nations with coordinating local organizing committees for their World Cups, FIFA has taken an in-house approach by bringing their own employees to the US.
The World Cup has traditionally consisted of 32 teams, which has been expanded to 48 teams for the 2026 edition. The majority of the matches will take place in the US with the remaining in Canada and Mexico.
While supervising preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, mentioned his plans to spend more time in the US in the future. The next few years will be busy for Americans, hosting the 2025 Club World Cup along with the 23rd World Cup.
The competition will take place from June to July 2025 and will utilize an expanded 32-team format. Chelsea, Manchester City, and Real Madrid are some major clubs that have already qualified for the event along with Brazilian clubs, Palmeiras and Flamengo.
