The FIFA Congress, the supreme legislative body of the Fédération Internationale De Football Association (FIFA), is meeting in Kigali from March 13 to 17, bringing together about 2,000 delegates from 211-member associations and other football stakeholders.
The FIFA Congress has been held annually since 1998, having been held every two years before that.
Rwanda, which is evolving as a destination for global competition, from triathlon to beach volleyball to cycling, is the fourth African country – after Morocco, in 2005, South Africa in 2010, Mauritius in 2013, to host the FIFA Congress.
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Fresh from hosting a very successful Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), in June 2022, Rwandan capital, Kigali, will host the 73rd FIFA Congress.
It was on the sidelines of CHOGM 2022 that FIFA endorsed Kigali to host the 73rd FIFA congress.
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The FIFA Executive Committee on June 23, 2022, endorsed Kigali to host the high level congress, less than four years after Rwanda hosted the eighth FIFA Council Meeting in October 2018.
Why Rwanda? It’s a no brainer, really.
The decision was informed by Rwanda's evident positioning and capacity as a host of high profile events of global magnitude such as CHOGM. It is also a result of President Paul Kagame's unwavering support to the game of football worldwide. Besides seeing the sports industry as an economic engine for future growth in Africa, the progressive and visionary leader is, among others, a strong proponent of using sports as a platform to promote physical and mental well-being across the continent.
In February 2021, Rwanda became the third African country, after Senegal and South Africa, to have a FIFA regional development office.
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And we are not done yet. The much supported African Super League will be inaugurated sometime this year.
Rwanda has over the years carved a niche for itself as a favourite destination for global events. The country hosted the 2016 African Nations Championships (CHAN), the 27th African Union (AU) Summit in 2016, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol in 2019, the 2021 Basketball and Volleyball African championships and the finals for both the 2021 and 2022 Basketball Africa League.
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, when FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed three main topics including investment in football. While in Kigali, FIFA delegates will, among others, elect the FIFA President for the 2023-2027 term of office.