March 17 – Cindy Parlow Cone, president of the US Soccer federation has been elected (unopposed) to the FIFA Council, while new Mexican chief, Mikel Arriola, has been elected to the Concacaf Council after just a week in the Mexican federation’s top job.
Concacaf held its 40th Ordinary Congress at the Royalton Hotel in Cap Estate, Saint Lucia, at the weekend. All 41 Concacaf member associations were present along with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who addressed the Congress, and Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez.
Concacaf and South America’s Conmebol have a co-operation agreement that has seen Conmebol host its Copa America in the USA in 2024 as well as four Conmebol nations participate in the W Gold Cup last year. There has been talk from FIFA about merging the two confederations in the past (Conmebol has just 12 members), though that talk appears to have died, at least publicly, for the moment. It would meet with major resistance from Concacaf’s membership if moves were made to make it happen.
Along with Parlow Cone, Randy Harris from Barbados was elected to the FIFA Council as the Caribbean representative, while Sonia Fulford, Turks and Caicos, was re-elected to the FIFA Council as Concacaf’s female rep.
On the Concacaf Council Sergio Chuc, Belize, and Maurice Victoire, Martinique, were both re-elected unopposed.
FIFA and Concacaf Council members Luis Hernandez from Cuba and Yon de Luisa from Mexico departed their posts.
Concacaf president Victor Montagliani said: “I am incredibly proud of how we have come together as a football family to elevate the game across our region, laying the foundation for even greater success. Through our shared commitment to our ‘One Concacaf’ vision, we are strengthening our Confederation and creating new opportunities for our Member Associations.”
“From introducing competitions like the Nations League, to advancing the women’s game, and launching new development programs, our collective efforts have transformed football in our region. The progress we’ve made is only possible through the tremendous amount of work that you have done to get us to this point, the dedication and passion of our Member Associations, continues to drive the game forward.”
The fourth edition of the Nations League finals take place this week at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, kicking off on Thursday March 20 with the semi-finals (USA vs Panama, Mexico vs Canada) with the final and third-place play-off on March 23.
“As we look ahead to 2026, we have an unprecedented opportunity to leave a lasting legacy -not just through world-class competitions, but by continuing to grow the game at all levels. The work we do now will shape the future of football for generations to come, and I have no doubt that together, we will continue to build a stronger, more united football family,” concluded Montagliani.
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