FIFA 2025 Legal Handbook

FIFA recently published the 2025 edition of its Legal Handbook, a crucial reference document for the global soccer community. First released in 2020, this handbook brings together the latest regulations, statutory documents, and circulars issued by the governing body of world soccer, making it an essential resource for everyone involved in the sport.

Scope and Importance of the 2025 Legal Handbook

The FIFA Legal Handbook is a comprehensive tool designed to provide clear guidance for soccer organizations, players, coaches, and administrators. By compiling up-to-date rules and regulations, it ensures that all stakeholders in the soccer community stay aligned with FIFA's latest policies. This annual publication reflects FIFA's commitment to promoting integrity, fairness, and transparency in the governance of the game.

This annual publication reflects FIFA’s commitment to promoting ethics, integrity, good governance, and respect for human rights. It ensures that all stakeholders clearly understand their rights and obligations, promoting fair play and compliance with international standards.

The 2025 edition aims to:

• Provide a clear and up-to-date regulatory framework to guarantee the proper conduct of competitions;
• Harmonise practices and procedures at the international level;
• Strengthen the protection of the rights and obligations of the various stakeholders.

Contents of the 2025 Legal Handbook

The 2025 edition covers a wide range of governing documents, including:

• FIFA Statutes: The fundamental regulations that define FIFA's mission, role, and organizational structure.
• Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (2024 edition): Updated rules governing player transfers, with new provisions for female players and coaches.
• FIFA Code of Ethics (2023 edition) and Disciplinary Code (2023 edition): Guidelines to maintain fairness and integrity in soccer.
• FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations: Standards for doping control in the sport.
• FIFA Football Agent Regulations (2023 edition): Rules for agents to ensure ethical representation and professionalism.
• Circulars and guidelines: Clarifications on transfers, contracts, and policies issued by FIFA.

These documents are critical in maintaining consistency and compliance within global soccer operations.

Key Updates and Developments in 2025

Compared to the 2024 edition, the 2025 version introduces several important changes:

• Strengthened protection for female players and coaches, including improved recognition of contractual and family-related rights.
• Adjustments to international transfer rules, especially regarding registration periods and dispute resolution.
• Clearer agent obligations aligned with the new regulatory framework.
• Closer alignment of anti-doping provisions with international standards.

More harmonised and reinforced disciplinary procedures.

Utility for the Soccer Community

The Legal Handbook is a vital resource for soccer administrators, legal professionals, and organizations. By ensuring clarity and consistency in the application of regulations, the handbook helps safeguard the integrity of soccer matches and the governance of clubs, leagues, and national associations.

Moreover, the handbook plays a pivotal role in resolving legal disputes, ensuring compliance with ethical standards, and navigating complex issues such as player transfers, contracts, and arbitration.

Link to the FIFA Exam

The FIFA exam, particularly for those aiming for certification as soccer agents or those involved in the regulatory aspects of the sport, is partially based on the content of the Legal Handbook. However, FIFA may choose to refer to earlier editions of the handbook for the exam. Therefore, only official communications from FIFA regarding the exam should be considered authoritative during exam preparation. We therefore invite you to consult the FIFA exam subjects available on our study materials page.

Useful resources

• Download the FIFA 2025 Legal Handbook in PDF by clicking here
• 10 tips for passing the FIFA exam