- FIFA and the Dubai Sports Council will collaborate in the organization of the new awards
Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, and His Royal Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Sports Council, announced the creation of a new world football awards gala to take place in Dubai. The event was attended by His Royal Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the United Arab Emirates and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.
Starting in 2026, it will be FIFA’s only official annual awards ceremony and will bring together the most prominent figures in the beautiful game to pay tribute to the best players, teams and achievements of the previous season in men’s and women’s football. The announcement was made public during the World Sports Summit being held in Dubai with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between FIFA and the Dubai Sports Council confirming the new collaboration.
«We are delighted to join forces with Dubai, a city that lives football with devotion, to develop this first-class event—explained FIFA president Gianni Infantino—. “These World Football Awards will be much more than a ceremony: it is an innovative way to pay tribute to football and officially recognize the people who have performed best on and off the field of play.”
For his part, His Royal Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, stated: “The Dubai Sports Council has a strong partnership with FIFA which has resulted in numerous initiatives announced by Gianni Infantino from Dubai in recent times, all of them having a great impact on world football..“We are pleased to announce this new agreement, which demonstrates our ongoing collaboration and reflects the notable role Dubai plays in world football.”. It also highlights Dubai’s role in the development of football around the planet and in the future of the most important and popular sport in the world, “thanks to the implementation of innovative initiatives, the organization of tributes to the most outstanding figures in football and the celebration of major competitions”he added
More details about the award categories, the nomination and selection systems for the winners, and the dates of the ceremony will be revealed soon.
