December 13 – Talking at Concacaf’s annual Presidents’ Assembly in Orlando, FL, USA, final weekend, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, reminded his member associations how far the organisaton had progressed over the previous eight years.
It has been a metamorphosis from Concacaf narrowly lacking being branded as a legal organisation when the US Division of Justice and the FBI raided FIFA, arresting then Concacaf president Jeff Webb and govt committee member Eduardo Li previous to FIFA’s Congress in 2015, to 2024 and a confederation whose members at the moment are taking part in extra aggressive worldwide matches than ever earlier than, have reformed their operations and statutes, and who got here collectively to win the 2026 World Cup internet hosting.
“Now that we have now had this eight-year journey of coming collectively as One Concacaf, the place we’ve put our fiscal, ethical, and soccer home so as, we have now earned the respect of the worldwide soccer group,” mentioned Montagliani.
“We’ve got bought thus far by means of large work, underpinned by the dedication of our Member Associations. I take my hat off to them (the Member Associations); they’ve saved going, they usually preserve going as a result of they understand how essential it’s to work collectively.”
On the centre of this transformation has been the concentrate on constructing competitions and getting federations taking part in repeatedly.
The Concacaf Nations League has been the driving force of the brand new calendar, creating extra aggressive alternative all through the confederation for males’s nationwide groups. That’s now being rolled out into the ladies’s sport. On the identical time Concacaf’s membership competitions have been revamped and expanded.
The brand new aggressive constructions haven’t solely created the chance for improved efficiency ranges and for expertise to develop, however they’ve additionally introduced a step change to Concacaf’s business proposition. That’s flip has led to considerably extra assist for member federations.
Earlier than 2015 most of Concacaf’s federations relied on FIFA grants to maintain the sport of their international locations. Now Concacaf grants more cash to its federations than FIFA was offering in 2015.
The brand new competitors constructions have additionally given FAs extra home relevance and higher alternative to have interaction native sponsors – it’s arduous to promote a sponsorship programme for what for a lot of was one significant World Cup qualifying fixture each 4 years.
Concacaf is additional increasing its Nations League with the introduction of the Concacaf Nations League Finals for Leagues B and C – beginning with the 2026/27 version.
Montagliani additionally introduced the launch in 2025 of the Concacaf Academy, an academic programme to assist member associations develop off-the-pitch expertise.
“Constructing on the success of the Confederation’s Govt Mentorship Program, which was launched in 2019 and has enhanced the abilities of senior management inside Member Associations, we are going to now take skilled studying to the following degree with the launch of the Concacaf Academy,” mentioned Montagliani.
“The progressive on-line and in-person platform can be out there to the workers of all Concacaf Member Associations and concentrate on three essential pillars: Management, Administration, and Soccer.”
Contact the author of this story at moc.l1734111363labto1734111363ofdlr1734111363owedi1734111363sni@n1734111363osloh1734111363cin.l1734111363uap1734111363