A list of all the FIFA presidents listed: Past to present FIFA presidents

FIFA is global football's governing body. Since its inception in 1904, the federation has had nine different presidents. In this article, we break down every FIFA president and give details about his reign.

During FIFA's 100-year existence, the organisation has grown in leaps and bounds. Aside from overseeing all the leagues in the world, FIFA is also responsible for all international competitions, including those involving youth teams and both men's and women's World Cups.

How often are FIFA presidents elected?

The prerogative of electing the FIFA president belongs to the FIFA congress. How the presidents are elected also goes hand in hand with the process used to vote in the executive committee. The Congress elects a 37-member executive committee once every four years with representation from every single continental body. The president is the head of the council, and he has eight vice presidents, each being a chairman of the eight continental bodies. The president and the executive council are not allowed to stay in office for more than three terms, though they do not have to be served consecutively.

The role played by FIFA's presidents

The president remains FIFA's main representative to the public, and he articulates the position of the executive committee to everyone else. He is also key in coordinating with trade and business partners to make events like the World Cup successful and profitable.

A list of all the FIFA presidents past to present

The list below denotes the FIFA presidents of all time in order of which era they served:

1. Robert Guerin (1904-1906)

Robert was elected FIFA's first president after the first congress in 1904. The French journalist served for two years and managed to recruit eight national associations to join FIFA. He passed away in 1952.

2. Daniel Burley Woolfall (1906-1918)

Englishman Daniel Burley brought about several much-needed changes during his tenure. Football became an Olympic sport in 1908 and became open to more federations outside Europe. His tenure ended when he died in 1918. Cornelius August took over the position in an acting role for a year before the congress elected a new president.

3. Jules Rimet (1921-1954)

Frenchman Jules Rimet had the longest tenure in office of any president so far, with 33 years on the job. He is credited with professionalising the game in the mid-20th century, and the FIFA World Cup first started under his era. The first World Cup trophy was named the 'Jules Rimet ' trophy. He passed away in 1958.

4. Rodolphe Seeldrayers (1954-1955)

Former Belgian FA president Rodolphe served as FIFA's fourth president. He died only one year into his tenure after a short illness.

5. Arthur Drewry (1955-1961)

The second Englishman on the list so far, Arthur was initially acting president before being elected full president. He died in office in 1961.

6. Stanley Rous (1961-1974)

Another Englishman, Rous, served as president for 12 and a half years, overseeing the uptake of more newly independent countries as federation members. He was ousted in 1974 after being defeated in the elections by Brazilian Joao Havelenge.

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7. Joao Havelenge (1974-1998)

Brazilian Joao Havelenge was the first non-European to win the presidency. He stayed in power for a quarter of a century but stopped short of ushering football into the 21st century by leaving in 1998. In 2011, a Swiss court alleged that he and his son engaged in fraud during his tenure. He passed away in 2016

8. Sepp Blatter (1998-2015)

Perhaps the most controversial name of all past FIFA presidents, Sepp Blatter's reign was shrouded in controversy and corruption. He is currently serving an 8-year ban from football due to allegations of bribery in relation to the awarding of international hosting rights. Following his resignation, Issa Hayatou became acting president for 188 days until Gianni Infantino was elected.

9. Gianni Infantino (2016- ongoing)

Italian Gianni Infantino is the current FIFA president. He was previously the president of UEFA. He has been credited with expanding the men's and women's World Cups to involve more teams.

FIFA's history has seen football grow in leaps and bounds. Those nine men on the list are a key reason that FIFA can boast of having 208 member organisations in 2023 as opposed to only 8 when they started in 1904.

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