Football's powerful governing body is expanding in an upscale Miami enclave as its president relocates ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the organisation ramps up permanent staffing in South Florida.
FIFA leased an additional floor in a Coral Gables office tower and intends to keep the space as a base for the Americas after the tournament, said people familiar with the plans. President Gianni Infantino is moving to the Miami area, where he will be based through the World Cup, the people said, asking not to be named because the matter is private.
“There is a great opportunity for FIFA to contribute even more to the growth of the game across the Americas with a permanent presence in Miami,” the organisation said in an emailed statement, declining to comment on personnel and office size. A base in Miami “brings us closer to our many member associations and key stakeholders in the region.”
FIFA is gearing up for the 2026 World Cup, which will include matches in Miami and 15 other cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The expanding footprint further bolsters Miami’s standing as a global soccer hub, which was turbocharged last year when Inter Miami CF signed superstar Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to victory in the 2022 tournament.
Zurich-based FIFA has roughly 350 people to Coral Gables so far, the people said, including Chief Legal Officer Emilio Garcia Silvero and his legal and compliance division. Garcia Silvero and his group of about 100 people will stay based in the United States after the tournament.
The organisation now occupies roughly 75,000 square feet (6,967 square metres) of office space at the 396 Alhambra Circle building, including the 15,000 square feet it leased this year, people familiar with that transaction said. The new space gave FIFA a fourth floor in addition to the three it already had.
Infantino, 54, was re-elected as FIFA president unopposed in March, running on a platform to make soccer a more global competition. His tenure saw FIFA bring in US$7.6 billion in revenues between 2019 and 2022, in the run-up to the Qatar World Cup, when he moved to Doha for the 2022 tournament.
FIFA expects US$11 billion in revenues between 2023 to 2026, after it expanded the 2026 World Cup to include 48 teams.
by Michael Smith, Bloomberg
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