Football has had many voices and many leaders, but at the very top of the world game sits the president of FIFA. From the early days of seven founding nations gathering around a table in Paris in 1904 to today’s billion-dollar tournaments broadcast across every corner of the globe, the men who have led FIFA have left their fingerprints on the sport forever.
Some gave football its soul, some gave it its business power, and some nearly tore it apart.
This is a walk through the ten men who held that office, ranking them from the very best to the ones history will never forgive.
1. Jules Rimet (France, 1921–1954)
If football is the world’s game, Rimet is the man who gave it its crown jewel. He is remembered as the father of the World Cup, and that alone secures him a place in first place.
Rimet was a lawyer by profession, but more importantly, he was a dreamer. He saw football as a way to bridge cultures and give nations a stage to meet on equal terms.
When he became FIFA’s third president in 1921, football was largely a European and scattered sport. He wanted something bigger, something global.
In 1930, that dream came alive in Uruguay. Thirteen teams traveled across oceans to take part in the very first FIFA World Cup. It was small by today’s standards, but it was historic. Uruguay, the Olympic champions, hosted and won the tournament. For Rimet, it was the seed of something that would grow far beyond imagination.
His leadership faced enormous challenges.
The 1934 and 1938 World Cups were played under the shadow of rising fascism in Europe, and then came the Second World War, which stopped football altogether. Many thought the World Cup would never return, but Rimet’s determination brought it back in 1950 in Brazil.
That tournament gave us the legendary Maracanazo, where Uruguay shocked the hosts in Rio before 200,000 stunned fans.
Rimet believed in football as a unifier.
His presidency spanned 33 years, making him FIFA’s longest-serving leader. The original trophy was named after him, the Jules Rimet Cup, a tribute to his vision. His style was simple, his ambition clear: make football belong to the world. Without him, the World Cup would not exist.
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2. João Havelange (Brazil, 1974–1998)
If Rimet was the dreamer, Havelange was the businessman. He saw football not just as a sport but as a product to be sold to billions. His rise was a revolution for FIFA.
When he took charge in 1974, FIFA was still run like a small club dominated by Europe. Havelange, tall and charismatic, changed that. He traveled the globe, making promises to Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.
He gave them representation, more World Cup spots, and development funds. In return, he secured their votes and built an unshakable power base.
Havelange expanded the World Cup from 16 to 24 teams, and later to 32, opening doors for nations that had never dreamed of competing on such a stage. He pushed for youth tournaments, like the U-20 and U-17 World Cups, and grew the women’s game by supporting the Women’s World Cup.
Perhaps his biggest move was in business. He brought in Coca-Cola, Adidas, and other giants, turning FIFA into a financial empire. Television rights skyrocketed. The World Cup became the most-watched event in the world, generating billions. FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich went from modest to powerful.
Of course, Havelange’s reign had shadows. Investigations revealed widespread corruption, with FIFA officials accused of taking bribes through marketing deals. His name became tied to secrecy and greed. Yet his impact cannot be erased. He made FIFA global. He gave Africa and Asia more voice. He gave the game financial muscle that still drives it today.
Havelange was both visionary and controversial, a man who gave football its global stage but left behind a trail of mistrust.
3. Gianni Infantino (Switzerland/Italy, 2016–present)
Infantino is the modern face of FIFA. Bald, sharp-suited, and media savvy, he came in after FIFA’s darkest days, when corruption scandals had destroyed the organization’s reputation. His job was to rebuild trust while steering football into a new era.
Infantino wasted little time. He announced that the World Cup would expand from 32 to 48 teams starting in 2026. For him, it was about giving more nations a chance to dream. For critics, it was about chasing more money through bigger tournaments and more matches.
He also pushed for an expanded Club World Cup, set to include 32 teams from around the world. It was a way to challenge UEFA’s dominance with the Champions League and to spread FIFA’s influence deeper into club football.
Infantino has also emphasized women’s football, increasing funding and support for the Women’s World Cup. He has promised more development money to smaller federations, particularly in Africa and Asia. His vision is a FIFA that touches every corner of the globe, not just Europe and South America.
Infantino has his controversies, too. Critics accuse him of cozying up to governments and making decisions based on politics rather than the good of the game. His push for more competitions has raised concerns about player burnout and the commercial overloading of football.
Still, Infantino has positioned FIFA as a modern giant, ready to dominate not just tournaments but the business of football in the 21st century. Whether his legacy will be one of growth or greed remains to be seen, but he is already reshaping the sport in his image.
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4. Sir Stanley Rous (England, 1961–1974)
Stanley Rous was a man of order. Before becoming FIFA president, he was a respected referee, even officiating at the highest levels. That background made him meticulous about rules, fairness, and the technical side of the game.
During his time, he brought professionalism to the World Cup. He helped create a more structured qualification system, ensuring the tournament was better organized. He also supported refereeing improvements, including clearer interpretations of the laws.
But Rous was not without fault. He was criticized for his conservative outlook, particularly regarding Africa and Asia. He defended South Africa’s inclusion in FIFA during the apartheid era, a stance that alienated African nations. His Eurocentric leadership style clashed with the growing demand for global inclusion.
This weakness cost him dearly. In 1974, African and Asian nations voted overwhelmingly for João Havelange, ending Rous’s presidency. His story is one of a capable administrator who failed to read the changing political landscape of football.
5. Robert Guérin (France, 1904–1906)
Robert Guérin was just 28 when he became FIFA’s first president, making him the youngest leader the organization has ever had. A journalist and administrator, he was among the founding members who brought seven national associations together in Paris to create FIFA.
His presidency was short, lasting just two years, but it was historically significant. He set the foundation by establishing FIFA as a governing body with clear rules and principles. His role was more about starting the engine than driving the car.
Guérin doesn’t have the global achievements of later presidents, but without him, there would be no FIFA. He was the first to believe that football needed an international organization, and that spark was enough to light the fire.
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6. Daniel Burley Woolfall (England, 1906–1918)
Woolfall succeeded Guérin and became FIFA’s second president. His biggest contribution was standardizing the rules of football, ensuring consistency across nations. This was crucial at a time when different countries played by slightly different codes.
He also encouraged more non-European nations to join FIFA, though his efforts were limited. His presidency was overshadowed by World War I, which halted football and left FIFA nearly inactive. Woolfall himself died in 1918, before the war ended.
His legacy is important in terms of organization and structure, but he didn’t have the chance to grow FIFA into something bigger.
7. Rodolphe Seeldrayers (Belgium, 1954–1955)
Seeldrayers took over in 1954 after Jules Rimet’s long reign.
He had been a loyal FIFA official for years, known for his belief in fair play and sportsmanship. Unfortunately, he served for only one year before passing away in 1955.
His short time meant he couldn’t leave a lasting impact. But those who knew him respected his integrity and his vision of football as more than just competition. He remains a figure remembered for ideals rather than achievements.
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8. Sepp Blatter (Switzerland, 1998–2015)
Few names in football stir as much debate as Blatter. His presidency began with hope but ended in disgrace.
Blatter brought football to new places. He oversaw the first World Cup in Asia (2002, South Korea and Japan) and the first in Africa (2010, South Africa). These moves gave football a global reach and showed that FIFA could no longer belong to Europe and South America alone.
The scandals drowned everything else. His years were plagued by allegations of bribery, vote-buying, and corruption. The awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar remains one of the most controversial decisions in FIFA history. By 2015, investigations led to his suspension and resignation.
Blatter’s legacy is split. On one hand, he gave football to new continents. On the other, he nearly destroyed FIFA’s reputation. History is unlikely to forgive him fully.
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