The World Leagues Forum (WLF) is an organization representing professional association football leagues that formed in 2016. It currently includes 44 members from five of FIFA's six continental confederations.
Executives and representatives from 24 professional football leagues convened the Global Leagues Forum in April 2015 to discuss current issues with the football system and business as a whole. [1] The World Leagues Forum was formed in early 2016 in preparation for the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress, in which a new FIFA president would be elected. It convened its first meeting on 25 February 2016, in Zurich before the FIFA Congress. [2] [3] The WLF initially comprised 24 member football leagues, [2] but has since expanded to 41 leagues and holds annual meetings that are hosted by members. [4]
In 2018, the group voiced its opposition to FIFA president Gianni Infantino's plan to expand the FIFA Club World Cup and implement a global club league. [5] [6]
As of 2024 [update] , the WLF has 44 member leagues and associations from five continental confederations. [7] [8]
The World Leagues Forum is governed by a Steering Committee composed of representatives and executives from top member leagues. Its current chairman is Enrique Bonilla of Liga MX. Its two vice chairmen are Don Garber of Major League Soccer and Christian Seifert, the CEO of the Deutsche Fußball Liga. [11]
Its general secretary is Jerome Perlemuter, former General Counsel of the French Football League, who was appointed in April 2017. [12]
The Mexican Football Federation is the governing body of association football in Mexico. It administers the Mexico national team, the Liga MX and all affiliated amateur sectors, and controls promoting, organizing, directing, expanding, and supervising competitive football in Mexico.
Association football is the most popular sport in France. The French Football Federation is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the country, both professional and amateur. The federation organizes the Coupe de France and is responsible for appointing the management of the men's, women's, and youth national football teams in France. The federation gives responsibility of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) who oversee, organize, and manage the country's top two leagues. The LFP is also responsible for organizing the Coupe de la Ligue, the country's league cup competition. The French Football Federation also supervises the overseas departments and territories leagues and hosts football club AS Monaco, a club based in the independent sovereign state of Monaco. In 2022, the FFF had 2.1 million licensees, 1.8 million players and 14,000 registered clubs, the second highest number of registered players in Europe after Germany.
Michael Kojo Essien is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and is currently a member of Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland's coaching staff. He was also capped for the Ghana national team more than 50 times. During his prime, Essien was considered one of the best midfielders in the world. Essien was known not only for his defensive ability, but also his knack for scoring long-range goals.
The Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) is the highest level of club football in Nigerian football league system. The Nigerian Premier League has suffered like many others, from the financial impact and dwindling fortunes since the late 2000s. It is fed into by the Nigeria National League (NNL). It is organized by the Interim Management Committee Board headed by Mr. Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye.
The following are the association football events of the year 2008 throughout the world.
André-Pierre Christian Gignac is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Liga MX club Tigres UANL.
Mexico's most popular sport is football. As of 2020, the top-tier leagues in Mexico are Liga MX for the men and the Liga MX Femenil for women.
Eden Michael Walter Hazard is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a winger or attacking midfielder for Lille, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and the Belgium national team. Known for his dribbling and creativity, Hazard is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation, and one of the Premier League's greatest ever players.
Yacine Nasreddine Brahimi is a professional footballer who plays for and captains the Qatari club Al-Gharafa and the Algeria national team. He plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger and is described as "technically gifted". Yacine is also known for his "Brahimi Moments".
Younès Belhanda is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Qatar Stars League club Al-Shamal.
Association football is the most popular sport in Kenya, followed by rugby.
Fayçal Fajr is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al Wehda. Born in France, he plays for the Morocco national team.
The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official in association football who assists the referee by reviewing decisions using video footage and providing advice to the referee based on those reviews.
Fousseni Diabaté is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Swiss club Lausanne-Sport. Born in France, he plays for the Mali national team.
Jules Olivier Koundé is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the France national team.
Enzo Lilian Marin Loiodice is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Las Palmas.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption to association football across the world, mirroring its impact across all sports. Across the world to varying degrees, leagues and competitions were been cancelled or postponed.