MIAMI, Florida – Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani was today (October 19) one of the key headline speakers at the prestigious Leaders in Sport industry event in London, UK.
Montagliani provided significant insights into the work undertaken in Concacaf under this administration, with financial governance and putting football first in support of all 41 of the confederation’s Member Associations key priorities since he became President.
In a wide-ranging discussion on the key emerging trends in Concacaf and FIFA for the delivery of major events, President Montagliani was joined by Football Federation Australia CEO James Johnson, in a discussion moderated by LA28 senior executive Ena Patel.
Montagliani began by providing an overview of the experiences gained from the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, which was delivered under his leadership as President of Canada Soccer. He was also asked about the growing strength and global relevance of the Concacaf Gold Cup in the region and beyond, with his response pointing to its expansion and success, and key learnings gained from delivering Gold Cup games at major NFL stadiums, which has proved very helpful in his current FIFA leadership role for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Montagliani praised Australia and New Zealand for their hosting of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, with FFA CEO Johnson providing insights into the detailed planning work that supported the delivery of the tournament.
President Montagliani spoke of the plethora of Concacaf and FIFA events happening in the region in the next three years and the hugely positive impact they will have on the growth of football, not only in their host countries but throughout the region consisting of 41 Member Associations spanning the Caribbean, Central America and North America.
In 2024, Concacaf will deliver the inaugural W Gold Cup which will include some of the world’s best women’s national teams, the new Concacaf Champions Cup for elite clubs, the CONMEBOL Copa America (co-organized by Concacaf and CONMEBOL) in which six Concacaf nations will participate as guests, and a fourth edition of the Concacaf Nations League. Following that in 2025, there will be another Gold Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, all leading into the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Concacaf President added that after many years of people seeing the region as the future of the game, it now truly feels like it is the here and now of global football.
