FIFA and the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) have signed a historic partnership agreement that will introduce a new annual world football award, set to debut in 2026. The announcement was made at the World Sports Summit, currently being held in Dubai, and marks a significant milestone in the world football calendar.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence in the United Arab Emirates, and the Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai. The new awards initiative was announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Chairman of Dubai Sports Council.
As of 2026, the ceremony, which will be hosted in Dubai, will be the sole official annual FIFA global awards to celebrate the most successful players in the world of football on and off the field. The awards will be a glorification of players, teams, leaders, and the contributors who have influenced the beautiful game in the last year, which will bring together the most influential figures in football in the world in one global event.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in his speech at the announcement that the collaboration is a testament to the close ties between Dubai and football and its success as a player on the global sporting scene. As we build this world-class event, Infantino said, we are thrilled to collaborate with the city of Dubai, which is breathing and living football. The awards will not merely be an award ceremony but a new form of celebrating football and honouring the official top performers of the year on and off the pitch.
His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum emphasized the close and developing interconnection between FIFA and Dubai. He said that the Dubai Sports Council has a good relationship with FIFA, and this has led to various projects being announced by Gianni Infantino in Dubai in the recent past, which have affected the world of football. This new contract is a welcome addition, as it emphasizes further collaboration between us and the fact that Dubai is a leading destination in the world football arena.
He further stated that the partnership enhances the position of Dubai in the quest to develop the future of football globally by being a pioneer in its innovations, paying tribute to quality, and hosting high-profile international events. According to him, Dubai is ready to contribute to the development of the global sporting system, as well as football in particular, and has everything to succeed in the fulfillment of this task most productively.
The announcement was made during the World Sports Summit, which has seen over 1,500 leaders and decision-makers in sports gatherings in 50 countries. The FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, held a meeting with Sheikh Hamdan on the outskirts of the summit to talk about global football development, innovations in sports, and global cooperation.
Sheikh Hamdan stressed the significance of sport, especially football, as a positive instrument that helped to foster coexistence, mutual understanding, and closer relations between countries and communities. He has also hailed the FIFA vision of creating a more progressive and global football ecosystem.
FIFA President Infantino, in his turn, praised the role of the UAE in the development of the sports field, and the hosting of the World Sports Summit in Dubai was a characteristic of its progressive vision and long-term investment in sport on an international scale. More information about the categories of awards, nominations, and voting should be revealed in the near future, as the expectations are high that the first FIFA global awards ceremony will take place in Dubai in 2026.