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List of football federations facts for kids

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Football is a super popular sport played all over the world! But who makes sure everyone plays by the same rules? That's where football governing bodies come in. These are organizations that manage, organize, and set the rules for football at different levels, from local games to huge international tournaments like the World Cup. They help keep the game fair and fun for everyone.

Global Football Organizations

These are the biggest organizations that look after football across the entire world.

FIFA: The World's Football Boss

  • FIFA - Fédération Internationale de Football Association is the main global football organization.
  • It was started in 1904.
  • FIFA has 211 member countries from all over the world.
  • They are in charge of international football.
  • Their most famous event is the FIFA World Cup, which happens every four years. It's one of the biggest sports events on Earth!

ConIFA: For Teams Not in FIFA

  • ConIFA - Confederation of Independent Football Associations was founded in 2013.
  • It has 24 members.
  • ConIFA represents teams from places that are not part of FIFA. This can include small nations, special regions, or groups of people who want to play football internationally.
  • Their main competition is the ConIFA World Football Cup.

Past Global Organizations

  • NF-Board - New Federation Board was an organization for teams not in FIFA.
  • It was started in 2003 and closed down in 2013.
  • Their main tournament was the VIVA World Cup.

Continental Football Organizations

Below FIFA, there are six big organizations that manage football on each continent. Most countries that are part of FIFA also belong to one of these continental groups.

FIFA's Continental Groups

These groups organize big tournaments for countries and clubs on their continent.

  • AFC - Asian Football Confederation
    • Started in 1954, it manages football in Asia.
    • It has 47 members.
    • Their main tournament is the AFC Asian Cup.
  • CAF - Confederation of African Football
    • Started in 1957, it manages football in Africa.
    • It has 54 members and 2 associate members.
    • Their main tournament is the African Cup of Nations.
  • OFC - Oceania Football Confederation
    • Started in 1966, it manages football in Oceania.
    • It has 11 members and 2 associate members.
    • Their main tournament is the OFC Nations Cup.
  • UEFA - Union of European Football Associations

Continental Groups Not in FIFA

  • CSANF - Consejo Sudamericano de Nuevas Federaciones
    • Started in 2007, it represents teams in South America not part of FIFA.
    • It has 4 members and 1 associate member.

Inter-continental Football Organizations

Some football organizations cover countries that are on more than one continent.

  • UAFA - Union of Arab Football Associations
    • Started in 1974, it represents Arab nations.
    • It has 22 members from both Africa and Asia.
    • Their main tournament is the Arab Cup.

Regional Football Organizations

Within the continents, there are also smaller regional groups. These groups help organize football in specific parts of a continent.

African Regional Groups

These groups are connected to CAF.

  • CECAFA - Council of East and Central African Football Associations
    • Started in 1927, it covers East and some Central African nations.
    • It has 10 members and 1 associate member.
    • Their main tournament is the CECAFA Cup.
  • COSAFA - Council of Southern African Football Associations
    • Started in 1997, it covers Southern African nations and nearby islands.
    • It has 14 members and 1 associate member.
    • Their main tournament is the COSAFA Cup.
  • WAFU (UFOA) - Union of West African Football Associations
    • Started in 1977, it covers nations in West Africa.
    • It has 8 members.
    • Their main tournament is the WAFU Nations Cup.
  • UNAF - Union of North African Federations
    • Started in 2005, it covers nations in North Africa.
    • It has 5 members.
  • UNIFFAC - Central African Football Federations' Union
    • It covers some nations in Central Africa.
    • It has 8 members.
    • Their main tournament is the CEMAC Cup.

Asian Regional Groups

These groups are connected to AFC.

  • WAFF - West Asian Football Federation
    • Started in 2000, it covers nations in Western Asia.
    • It has 12 members.
    • Their main tournament is the WAFF Championship.
  • EAFF - East Asian Football Federation
    • Started in 2002, it covers nations in East Asia.
    • It has 10 members.
    • Their main tournament is the EAFF E-1 Football Championship.
  • SAFF - South Asian Football Federation
    • Started in 1997, it covers nations in South Asia.
    • It has 7 members.
    • Their main tournament is the SAFF Championship.
  • CAFA - Central Asian Football Association
    • Started in 2015, it covers nations in Central Asia.
    • It has 6 members.
    • Their main tournament is the CAFA Championship.
  • AFF - ASEAN Football Federation
    • Started in 1984, it covers nations in Southeast Asia.
    • It has 12 members.
    • Their main tournament is the AFF Championship.

North American Regional Groups

These groups are connected to CONCACAF.

  • CFU - Caribbean Football Union
    • It represents all nations in the Caribbean.
    • It has 30 members.
    • Their main tournament was the Caribbean Cup.
  • NAFU - North American Football Union
    • It represents the three main countries of North America.
    • It has 3 members.
    • Their main tournament was the now closed North American Nations Cup.
  • UNCAF - Union Centroamericana de Fútbol
    • It represents the seven nations of Central America.
    • It has 7 members.
    • Their main tournament is the UNCAF Nations Cup.

Past Football Organizations

Over time, some football organizations have stopped existing. Here are a few examples:

  • CCCF - Confederacion Centroamericana y del Caribe de Futbol
    • This group covered Central America and the Caribbean.
    • It had 37 members and closed in 1961.
    • Their main tournament was the CCCF Championship.
  • NAFC - North American Football Confederation
    • This group covered the North American region.
    • It was started in 1946 and closed in 1961.
    • It had 4 members.
    • Their main tournament was the NAFC Championship.
  • PFC - Panamerican Football Confederation
    • This group represented teams from all over America.
    • It was started in 1946.
    • It had 50 members.
    • Their main tournament was the Panamerican Championship.
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