World Football Summit was born in Madrid in 2016, at a moment when football was beginning to change faster than the structures surrounding it. The industry was growing in scale, complexity and global reach, but its conversations remained fragmented. Clubs, leagues, federations, brands, investors and innovators were all moving in the same direction, yet rarely sharing the same room.

The idea behind WFS was simple: create a space where the entire football industry could come together and speak openly, across sectors, interests, and geographies. What started as a single event in Spain quickly revealed a clear reality. The industry was increasingly demanding a common platform where ideas could meet, be challenged, and move forward.

Over the years, that initial annual gathering in Madrid evolved into a global series of summits, expanding to new regions while keeping the same principle at its core: remain open, neutral, and inclusive. By giving the same relevance to established institutions and emerging players, to global organisations and specialised voices, this approach firmly established WFS’s credibility across the industry.

Today, World Football Summit is not defined by a single event or location. It is a global meeting point for the football industry, where connections translate into business growth and where the essence of the game remains central to that expansion.