Geography of association football
The following article gives a list of association football confederations, sub-confederations and associations around the world. The sport's international governing body is FIFA, but those associations not affiliated to FIFA are also included in this article.
Most European, African and Asian countries have two principal competitions: a more prestigious league which is typically a double round-robin tournament restricted to the elite clubs, and a cup which is a single-elimination tournament open to both the elite and lesser clubs. In the Americas, leagues are often organised as either multi-stage tournaments or separate Apertura and Clausura stages.
By continent
Affiliated to FIFA
Continent | Governing body | Abbr. | No. | FIFA members | Main international competition(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Club competition(s) | National competition(s) | |||||
Africa | Confederation of African Football | CAF | 56 | 54 | Champions League | Africa Cup of Nations |
Confederation Cup | Nations Championship | |||||
Super Cup | N/A | |||||
Asia | Asian Football Confederation | AFC | 47 | 46 | Champions League | Asian Cup |
AFC Cup | Solidarity Cup | |||||
Europe | Union of European Football Associations | UEFA | 55 | All | Champions League | European Championship |
Europa League | Regions' Cup | |||||
Super Cup | N/A | |||||
North, Central America and the Caribbean |
Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football | CONCACAF | 41 | 35 | Champions League | Gold Cup |
South America | Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol | CONMEBOL | 10 | All | Copa Libertadores | Copa América |
Copa Sudamericana | ||||||
Recopa Sudamericana | ||||||
Oceania | Oceania Football Confederation | OFC | 14 | 11 | Champions League | Nations Cup |
Other governing bodies
Governing body | Full name | Member associations | Main international competition(s) |
---|---|---|---|
ConIFA | Confederation of Independent Football Associations | 25 | ConIFA World Football Cup |
IGA | International Island Games Association | 24 | Island Games |
MFA | Micronational Football Association | 24 | MFA World Cup |
N.F.-Board | Nouvelle Fédération-Board | 50 | Viva World Cup |
By sub-region
Africa
Sub-region | Governing body | Abbr. | No. | Main international competition(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Club competition(s) | National competition(s) | ||||
North Africa | Union of North African Football Federations | UNAF | 5 | UNAF Nessma Cup | N/A |
West Africa | West African Football Union | WAFU / UFOA | 16 | West African Club Championship | WAFU Nations Cup |
Central Africa | Central African Football Federations' Union | UNIFFAC | 8 | CEMAC Cup | N/A |
East Africa | Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations | CECAFA | 12 | CECAFA Club Cup | CECAFA Cup |
Southern Africa | Council of Southern Africa Football Associations | COSAFA | 14 | N/A | COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup |
Arab World | Union of Arab Football Associations | UAFA | 10 | Arab World Club Cup | Arab Nations Cup |
Asia
Sub-region | Governing body | Abbr. | No. | Main international competition(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Club competition(s) | National competition(s) | ||||
West Asia | West Asian Football Federation | WAFF | 12 | N/A | WAFF Championship |
Central Asia | Central Asian Football Federation | CAFF | 6 | N/A | |
South Asia | South Asian Football Federation | SAFF | 7 | SAFF Club Championship | SAFF Championship |
East Asia | East Asian Football Federation | EAFF | 10 | N/A | East Asian Cup |
South-East Asia | ASEAN Football Federation | AFF | 12 | ASEAN Super League | ASEAN Football Championship |
Arab World | Union of Arab Football Associations | UAFA | 12 | Arab World Club Cup | Arab Nations Cup |
Arab states of the Persian Gulf | Gulf Cup Federation | GCF | 8 | Gulf Champions' Cup | Gulf Cup of Nations |
Gulf Cup Winners' Cup | N/A |
North America, Central America and the Caribbean
Sub-region | Governing body | Abbr. | No. | Main international competition(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Club competition | National competition | ||||
North America | North American Football Union | NAFU | 3 | N/A | |
Central America | Unión Centroamericana de Fútbol | UNCAF | 7 | N/A | Copa Centroamericana |
Caribbean | Caribbean Football Union | CFU | 31 | CFU Club Championship | Caribbean Cup |
By country
The football associations listed in this section are members of FIFA-affiliated confederations.
Africa
Asia
Europe
All UEFA associations are affiliated with FIFA.
North America, Central America and the Caribbean
South America
All CONMEBOL associations are affiliated with FIFA.
Country | Code | National association | Top division | Domestic cup | Super cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina | ARG | Asociación del Fútbol Argentino | Primera División | Copa Argentina | Supercopa Argentina |
Bolivia | BOL | Federación Boliviana de Fútbol | Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano | Copa Aerosur | None |
Brazil | BRA | Confederação Brasileira de Futebol | Série A | Copa do Brasil | None |
Chile | CHI | Federación de Fútbol de Chile | Primera División | Copa Chile | None |
Colombia | COL | Federación Colombiana de Fútbol | Categoría Primera A | Copa Colombia | Superliga Colombiana |
Ecuador | ECU | Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol | Serie A | None | |
Paraguay | PAR | Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol | Primera División | None | |
Peru | PER | Federación Peruana de Fútbol | Primera División | Copa Inca | Copa Federación |
Uruguay | URU | Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol | Primera División | None | |
Venezuela | VEN | Federación Venezolana de Fútbol | Primera División | Copa Venezuela | None |
Oceania
Non-FIFA associations
Countries
The football associations in this section represent fully or partially recognized sovereign states or dependent territories, but are not part of FIFA or a FIFA confederation.
Africa
Territory | Country | National association | N.F. | ConIFA | IGA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mayotte | France | Ligue de Football de Mayotte | |||
Réunion | France | Ligue Réunionnaise de Football | |||
Saint Helena | United Kingdom | Saint Helena Football Association | |||
Western Sahara | Morocco | Sahrawi Football Federation | |||
Somaliland | Somalia | Somaliland Football Association | |||
Asia
Territory | Country | National association | N.F. | ConIFA | IGA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nagorno-Karabakh | Azerbaijan | Artsakh Football Association | |||
Europe
Territory | Country | National association | N.F. | ConIFA | IGA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abkhazia | Georgia | Football Federation of Abkhazia | |||
Monaco | Monaco | Fédération Monégasque de Football | |||
Northern Cyprus | Cyprus | Kıbrıs Türk Futbol Federasyonu | |||
Transnistria | Moldova | None | |||
Vatican City | Vatican City | Federazione Vaticanese Giuoco Calcio | |||
The Americas
Territory | Country | National association | N.F. | ConIFA | IGA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falkland Islands | United Kingdom | Falkland Islands Football League | |||
Greenland | Denmark | Grønlands Boldspil-Union | |||
Saint Barthélemy | France | Saint Barthélemy Football Association | |||
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | France | Fédération de Football de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon | |||
Wallis and Futuna | France | Wallis and Futuna Soccer Federation | |||
Oceania
Territory | Country | National association | N.F. | ConIFA | IGA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F.S. Micronesia | F.S. Micronesia | Federated States of Micronesia Football Association | |||
Marshall Islands | Marshall Islands | None | |||
Nauru | Nauru | None | |||
Palau | Palau | Palau Football Association | |||
Regional
Beneath the national level, governance of football may be divided up into regional or territorial associations. Other non-national associations represent stateless populations, diasporas or micronations. Details of these are listed at non-FIFA international football.
See also
- Domestic association football season
- List of national football teams
- List of association football clubs
- List of association football competitions
- List of sports attendance figures — Attendances of many domestic and international competitions, compared with those of other sports around the world