On the morning of the day the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™️ begins, and in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, FIFA Council Members and FIFA Legends from around the world; FIFA President Gianni Infantino has welcomed leaders from Member Associations representing all six Confederations to Doha for the FIFA Executive Summit 2022 – and urged all in attendance to continue their work together to unite through football, and develop the global game.

Following opening remarks at the head of the summit, by His Highness The Amir, and in the first opportunity to address to Member Associations since it was confirmed that the elective 73rd FIFA Congress in March 2023 would be uncontested, Mr Infantino began the Summit by thanking the Member Associations present who had recently offered their support to continue for another term as FIFA President. “I’m truly humbled, I’m extremely honoured, to have received the official support of over 200 member associations from all continents and this shows that we are indeed united,” the FIFA President said. “We are united to bring global football forward. Together with all 211 member associations, with all confederations, we will continue to work together for the next four years and we will do great, great things: we will make football truly global; we will make football bigger.”

Mr Infantino also revealed that in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic and other crisis points around the world, FIFA’s revenue at year-end would stand at USD 7.5 billion – more than USD 1 billion more than was budgeted for. With year-end expenses forecast to be USD 6.5 billion, which includes the Legacy Fund, as announced on 19 November, President Infantino was able to tell delegates: “We will basically have a projected net result of USD 1 billion – which we can then invest in football immediately, starting from now and for the next cycle to make football grow even more around the world. I would like to simply congratulate all of you because these results are the results of the work you are doing.” As well as the message of unity, togetherness and financial growth, the Summit was also called in for FIFA’s Technical Development and Refereeing divisions to address Member Associations – and to present their work and offerings, to ensure all Member Associations are abreast of all developments and that every talent is given a chance to shine – regardless of where and in what circumstances they are born.

FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger and Jill Ellis – who leads the Technical Advisory Group on the Future of Women’s Football – took part in a Q&A on the FIFA Talent Development Scheme and the ongoing development of the women’s game respectively. Progress which was then backed up by the FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura, in an address focused on the expanded development opportunities a 32-team FIFA Women’s World Cup™️ will include. Meanwhile, FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina took part in a talk to discuss how FIFA continues – and will continue further at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™️ - to harness the power of technology in all areas of officiating, to provide ‘Team One’ ; the referees, assistant referees and video match officials, the best possible tools to be able to carry their duties to an elite level.