FIFA

American

[fee-fuh] / ˈfi fə /

noun

Fédération Internationale de Football Association: the federation, founded in 1904, that is the governing body for many international soccer tournaments, most notably the World Cup.

FIFA British

/ ˈfiːfə /

acronym

Fédération Internationale de Football Association: the international governing body of association football

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of FIFA

from French

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

FIFA, which puts on world football’s biggest event every four years, has also suddenly found itself grappling with a logistical nightmare in the form of a potential withdrawal by one of the qualified national teams.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

Verizon’s total annual spending on such sponsorships, including deals with the NFL, FIFA, individual sports teams and iHeartRadio, exceeds a quarter of a billion dollars, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

That could, however, land Gabon in trouble with football's world governing body FIFA, which bans government interference in the affairs of its member associations.

From Barron's • Jan. 1, 2026

"FIFA should never have left EA," said one person on social media site X.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025

Infantino, 55, became head of FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, in 2016, when he was elected to replace the scandal-ridden Sepp Blatter in a vote floor-managed by Sunil Gulati, then president of the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023