Guinea-Bissau pays Pelé tribute with renaming of Bafatá stadium
January 6 – The government of Guinea-Bissau has become the second country to heed the call of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and rename a stadium after Pelé.
FIFA
Cape Verde is first to heed FIFA call and name national stadium after Pele
January 4 – Africa’s Cape Verde has become the first FIFA member nation to heed president Gianni Infantino’s call to rename a stadium in every country in the world after Pele.
Morocco climb FIFA ranking, Brazil cling on to top spot ahead of Argentina
December 22 – Morocco have climbed the FIFA ranking following their spectacular semi-final run at the World Cup, with newly crowned world champions Argentina moving into second and quarter-finalists Brazil just about holding on to top spot.
FIFA puts idea of a triennial World Cup back on the agenda, reports
December 21 – With the World Cup at an end and Doha returning to some sense of normality, FIFA is thinking of the future and has reportedly re-floated the idea of staging the World Cup on a triennial basis.
LaLiga condemns FIFA’s 32-team CWC plan as a threat to whole football ecosystem
December 20 – La Liga has become the latest football body to denounce FIFA’s plans for a 32-team Club World Cup in 2025, saying it may take legal action to stop it.
World Leagues Forum slams FIFA for lack of transparency over new calendar plans
December 19 – The World Leagues Forum (WLF), has joined the world players’ union Fifpro in condemning FIFA for its “unilateral decisions” on international calendar which it says are “damaging for the football industry”.
Fifpro says FIFA has reneged on calendar talks, and that 32-team club comp will break players
December 19 – The world players’ union Fifpro has slammed FIFA’s plan to launch a 32-team Club World Cup in 2025, saying it could have “serious consequences” for the players.
Infantino’s world: best WC ever, FIFA reformed, MAs cashed up and he is only getting started
By Andrew Warshaw
December 16 – He did not feel gay, he did not feel like a migrant worker, he did not feel disabled.
Infantino sets 32-team Club World Cup debut for 2025; hosts to be announced
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
December 16 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has outlined his ambitions to stage a 32-team Club World Cup from 2025, and confirmed that Qatar 2022 surprise package Morocco will host the 2022 edition of the competition.
FIFA promises $9.7bn investment in world game through to 2026
December 16 – FIFA has announced that the budget for the 2023-2026 cycle will see £9.7 billion invested in football as the world cover expands its competitions and ambition.
Agents fees bounceback to $622.8m. UEFA’s big six markets account for 80%+
December 16 – Player agents and intermediaries earned a combined $622.8 million in 2022, according to FIFA’s latest figures from its Transfer Match System (TMS) database.
Nepalese call on Infantino to ‘stop looking the other way’ over migrant worker compensation
December 15 – More than three dozen Nepali civil society groups have called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to “stop looking the other way” while migrant workers in Qatar are denied compensation.
Wenger goes cold on biennial World Cup but warms to winter editions
December 9 – Having championed staging the World Cup every two years, FIFA’s director of development Arsene Wenger now appears to be backtracking over the idea.
Future World Cup city hosts gather in Doha for show-and-tell powwow
December 9 – FIFA has completed its World Cup Observer Programme in Qatar, designed to give future hosts insight into how FIFA expects its World Cups to be run.
US top women’s world rankings but European nations closing the gap
December 9 – Despite losing three of their past four matches, the US women’s team still top the FIFA world rankings, though the gap between them and second placed Germany is narrowing.