The FIFA Congress, the supreme legislative body of the International Association Football Federation (FIFA), is meeting in Kigali from Monday, March 13 through 17, bringing together about 2,000 delegates from 211-member associations and other football stakeholders.
The International Association Football Federation, FIFA, is the international governing body of football, futsal and beach soccer. The FIFA Congress has been held annually since 1998, having been held every two years before that.
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Congresses are big events which have featured things like FIFA presidential elections in the past in addition to discussing key topics regarding global football.
Rwanda will be the fourth African country to host the FIFA Congress. Here, we look at the three other African countries where it was hosted in the past.
1. Morocco, 2005
The FIFA Congress was hosted on African soil for the first time in 2005, in Morocco. Held in Marrakesh, the fourth largest city of Morocco, it was the first Congress to take place on the continent in the more than 100-year history of FIFA.
At the time, Sepp Blatter, the former FIFA President, extolled Africa’s contribution to football, saying Africa always used to go away empty-handed, "but we hope that this Congress and the 2010 FIFA World Cup (which took place in South Africa) will serve to make up for some of the omissions of the past.”
2. South Africa, 2010
The 60th edition of the FIFA Congress took place in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010, the same year that the country hosted the World Cup.
The delegates were then treated to the 2010 FIFA World Cup kick-off concert conducted in Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, followed by the opening ceremonies and opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Soccer City, Johannesburg.
During the 2010 FIFA Congress, representatives from the bid committees of Korea, Spain and Portugal (joint bid), Australia, Japan, United States, Holland and Belgium, England, Qatar and Russia all made presentations on their desire to be considered as host for either the 2018 or the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Also, Sepp Blatter, the former FIFA President took the opportunity to announce his desire to seek a further term of office when the elections would be conducted at the FIFA Congress of 2011.
3. Mauritius, 2013
The island nation of Mauritius was the third to host the FIFA Congress in Africa in 2013.
Attended by 208 member associations, this was the 63rd edition of the FIFA Congress.
Later in 2020, Ethiopia had to become the fourth African nation to host the Congress, but it did not materialise due to the Covid-19 pandemic which forced the meeting to be held online.
4. Rwanda, 2023
Fresh from hosting a very successful Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), in June 2022, Rwandan capital, Kigali, will host the 73rd FIFA Congress on March 16.
The FIFA Congress meets annually for ordinary congresses to decide on rules amendments, statutes, and to approve the annual report. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, every four years they elect the President.
The 72nd FIFA Congress, the first in-person annual event of football's world governing body since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic, was held in Doha, Qatar, in 2022. FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed three main topics at the 72nd FIFA Congress in Doha including investment in football.
While in Kigali, FIFA delegates will, among others, there will be an election of the FIFA President for the 2023-2027 term of office.