FIFA Congress in Thailand expected to reach important decisions

During the five-day international event that kicked off on Monday, delegates from 211 member associations are expected to convene at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.

A key item on the agenda for this year's Congress is the selection of the host country for the 2027 Women's World Cup. Set for May 17, the vote includes candidates from a European bloc of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as Brazil.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino made clear the importance of solid financial governance in exceeding the budgetary target of $11 billion for the 2023-26 cycle, which will enhance services for member associations and support their development and education projects.

The 74th FIFA Congress will also address racism in football, following the FIFA President’s call for stricter measures and increased commitment from all involved in global football.

The Congress will include an agenda item to tackle this issue comprehensively. Additionally, the voting procedure for the host(s) of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 was confirmed, with bids from Brazil, a joint bid from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and a joint bid from Mexico and the United States under consideration.

In a commitment to youth football, the FIFA Council confirmed that the next five editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup will be held annually in Qatar starting in 2025. The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup has expanded to 24 teams and will be hosted annually by Morocco until 2029.

Meanwhile, the mandate of the Normalization Committee for the Pakistan Football Federation has also been extended until Dec 15, to allow for the completion of the existing mandate and the electoral process.

Thailand marks a significant milestone as the first ASEAN country and only the fifth in the Asia-Pacific region, following Japan, South Korea, Qatar and Australia, to host this esteemed event.