African football is run by a pyramid of organisations: FIFA at world level, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the continent, six regional unions, national associations and, below them, regional and local associations.
FIFA
FIFA, based in Zurich, governs football worldwide. It writes the global rules on player transfers, eligibility and agents, organises the World Cup and distributes development money to its member associations. Each member association has one vote at the FIFA Congress, which means Africa's 54 associations form the largest single block of votes. Gianni Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016.
CAF
The Confederation of African Football was founded in Khartoum in 1957 and has its headquarters in Cairo. It organises the Africa Cup of Nations, the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup, the African Nations Championship (CHAN), women's and youth tournaments, and World Cup qualifying for Africa. Its president is elected by the general assembly of member associations; Patrice Motsepe of South Africa has led CAF since 2021.
The regional unions
CAF members are grouped into six zones: UNAF (North Africa), WAFU Zone A and Zone B (West Africa), UNIFFAC (Central Africa), CECAFA (East and Central Africa) and COSAFA (Southern Africa). The unions run regional tournaments such as the CECAFA Cup and COSAFA Cup. In 2025 Augustino Maduot Parek, president of the South Sudan Football Association, became president of CECAFA. See our guide to CAF zones.
National associations
Each country has one football association recognised by FIFA and CAF, such as the Nigeria Football Federation or the South Sudan Football Association. It runs the national teams and domestic leagues, licenses clubs, trains referees and coaches, and must be independent of government. Its leaders are elected by a general assembly of members, usually regional associations, clubs and interest groups.
Regional and local associations
National associations are made up of regional or local football associations that organise football in their areas. In South Sudan, for example, local football associations in towns like Wau, Bor and Rumbek run local leagues and nominate clubs for national competitions.
Who decides the rules of the game?
The Laws of the Game are not written by FIFA alone but by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), made up of FIFA and the four British associations. Changes such as VAR and five substitutions came through IFAB. Read our explainers on offside and VAR.