FIFA Circulars

2026 edition of the FIFA Disciplinary Code As part of FIFA’s continued commitment to tackling discrimination an d racist abuse, as well as providing greater clarity to parties involved in disciplinary proceedings and ensur ing consistenc y with other FIFA regulations and recent case law of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (C AS), we are pleased to present the 2026 edition of the FIFA Disciplinary Code ( FDC ), which will enter into force on 1 May 2026 .

Circula r no.

THE CONFEDERATIONS Vancouver , 29 April 2026 FIFA presidential election 2027 – call for election The FIFA Council, acting in accordance with art icle 64 par agraph 1 of the FIFA Governance Regulations, hereby calls the FIFA presidential election 202 7, which will take place at the 7 7 th FIFA Congress , to be held in Rabat, Morocco , on 18 March 202 7.

Update on the FIFA Club Protection Programme 2023 - 2026 FIFA is pleased to provide you with an update on the FIFA Club Protection Programme 2023 - 2026 (hereinafter the “Programme”) , under which coverage will now also include matches between the national teams of Member Associations not participating in the FIFA World Cup 2026 ™ (hereinafter “non - PMA s ”) dur ing the 1- 9 June international mat c h window .

76 th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada, on 30 April 2026 th This circular letter serves as the formal convocation for the 76 FIFA Congress, to be held in Vancouver , Canada , on 30 April 2026 .

FIFA Talent Development Scheme – 2026 application windows FIFA is pleased to announce that applications for the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) are now open for 2026.

Second edition of the FIFA Internship Programme for Member Associations (2026) Building on the success of its first edition and in line with FIFA’s Strategic Objectives for the Global Game: 2023-2027, the FIFA Internship Programme for Member Associations will take place between September and November 2026, with each session lasting up to 12 weeks.

Olympic Football Tournaments Los Angeles 2028 – information on the preliminary competition We are pleased to inform you that the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad Los Angeles 2028 will take place from 14 to 30 July 2028 and the dates for the Olympic Football Tournaments will be announced in due course.

Zurich , 21 January 2026 FIFA football agent exam - 2026 edition Following on from the 2025 edition of the FIFA football agent exam – the first to be held online, which was attended by 7,745 candidates worldwide – we hereby provide you with an overview regarding the 2026 edition.

Amendments to the FIFA Clearing House Regulations and the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal We are pleased to inform you of an amendment to the FIFA Clearing House Regulations (FCHR) and various amendments to the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal (Procedural Rules) , which were approved by the FIFA Council at its meeting on 17 December 2025.

Media accreditation for the FIFA World Cup 2026 ™ FIFA is pleased to announce that the media accreditation process for the FIFA World Cup 2026 ™ will be handled via the online FIFA Media Hub .

76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada, on 30 April 2026 In accordance with article 25 paragraph 2 of the FIFA Statutes, the FIFA Council decided at its meeting on 5 March 2025 that the next Ordinary FIFA Congress will be held in Vancouver, Canada, on 30 April 2026.

Beach Soccer Laws of the Game 2025-2026 We are pleased to inform you that the FIFA Council has approved several revisions to the Beach Soccer Laws of the Game.

CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025: mandatory release period and inclusion in the Men’s International Match Calendar When determining the dates of the 2025 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) taking place in Morocco, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), in the spirit of solidarity, decided to adjust the normal timing of the tournament from its historical January-February slot in an effort to minimise the conflict with the new scheduling of continental club competitions.

The Best FIFA Football Awards™ 2025 The tenth edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards™ will honour the leading lights of the women’s and men’s game for their achievements during this year in world football.

FIFA Football Law Annual Review 2026 FIFA is pleased to announce that the next FIFA Football Law Annual Review will be held in Budapest, Hungary, on 19 and 20 February 2026.

FIFA Diploma in Football Law – 4th edition: 2026-2027 FIFA is pleased to announce the launch of the fourth edition of the FIFA Diploma in Football Law, which will feature insights from renowned experts, leaders, arbitrators and sports lawyers.

FIFA Standing Committees A key amendment to the FIFA Statutes approved at the 74th FIFA Congress was the restructuring of the FIFA Standing Committees, with the stated objective of ensuring that more Member Associations are involved in FIFA’s decision-making processes around its increasing levels of activity and responsibility globally, with more female representation within these bodies to be instituted as part of this initiative.

FIFA World Cup 26™ Club Benefits Programme Since 2010, the FIFA Club Benefits Programme has distributed a significant portion of FIFA World Cup™ revenues to clubs that contribute to the successful staging of the competition by releasing their players for the final tournament.

2026 FIFA Refereeing International Lists FIFA would hereby like to invite you to nominate match officials for the 2026 FIFA Refereeing International Lists.

Survey on health-related educational resources FIFA Medical’s mission is to improve players’ health globally by setting standards in clinical care and governance, building a worldwide football medicine community, conducting and facilitating impactful research and education, and promoting equity and diversity in access to football medicine knowledge.

Publication of the FIFA Disability Football Toolkit FIFA is pleased to announce the publication of a new educational resource: the FIFA Disability Football Toolkit.

Amendment to article 68 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code We are pleased to inform you of an amendment to the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), which was approved by the Bureau of the Council on 5 September 2025 and enters into force immediately.

Futsal Laws of the Game 2025-2026 We are pleased to announce that the Bureau of the Council has approved a series of updates to the Futsal Laws of the Game.

Update on the Global Stand Against Racism As part of its ongoing commitment to countering discriminatory behaviour both on and off the pitch, FIFA has developed a dedicated online toolkit for our Member Associations to combat racism in football.

Proposals of candidates for the Dispute Resolution Chamber and the Players’ Status Chamber of the Football Tribunal, including for the positions of chairperson and deputy chairperson(s) of each chamber In accordance with the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Governance Regulations, the chairpersons, deputy chairpersons, and members of the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) and the Players’ Status Chamber (PSC) of the Football Tribunal are appointed by the FIFA Council.

Prohibition on gambling advertising on the shirts worn by match officials, in the video operation room and in the referee review area Referees play a central role in safeguarding the integrity and fairness of football and are essential to the game.

Amendments to the FIFA Clearing House Regulations We are pleased to inform you of various amendments to the FIFA Clearing House Regulations, which will enter into force on 1 August 2025.

Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players – categorisation of clubs and registration periods We kindly refer you to the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) and in particular to the articles that address training compensation, classifying clubs into categories and registration periods.

Youth Olympic Futsal Tournaments Dakar 2026 – participation principles and expressions of interest We would like to inform you about the latest updates from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding the Youth Olympic Futsal Tournaments at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.