The congresses may be ordinary or extraordinary. Ordinary congresses meet annually, typically between February and May. An extraordinary congress may be convened by the UEFA Executive Committee, or at the written request of one fifth or more of the UEFA member associations, to deal with financial matters and/or matters of particular significance. Each of the 55 members of UEFA has one vote in the congress. The members of UEFA are responsible for electing the UEFA president and the members of the UEFA Executive Committee.[2]
The most recent edition, the 49th Ordinary UEFA Congress, was held on 3 April 2025 in Belgrade, Serbia. The next congress is scheduled to be held on 12 February 2026 in Brussels, Belgium.
History
UEFA was founded on 15 June 1954 in Basel, Switzerland,[3] and began with 31 members.[4] The first congress was held the following year, on 2 March 1955 in Vienna, Austria. Until 1968, the meetings were known as general assemblies.[4] The first extraordinary congress was held on 11 December 1959 in Paris, France. The most recent extraordinary congress was held on 20 September 2017 in Zurich, the 13th to take place. The ordinary congress was initially held annually up until 1958, when the delegates decided to amend the UEFA Statutes so the congress would follow a biennial schedule. Starting in 2003, the congress returned to an annual meeting, which was decided at the congress in 2002, mainly to facilitate the financial management of UEFA.[4] On three occasions, two congress—an ordinary and extraordinary—have been held in the same year (in 1968, 2007 and 2017), while 2016 was the only year to see three congresses take place, due to two extraordinary meetings being held. The congress is typically held on a single day, though four congresses were held over two consecutive days: in 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2009.
All congresses have been held within a UEFA member association, except for the 4th Extraordinary UEFA Congress, which took place in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Italy has hosted both the most overall and ordinary congresses with seven, all taking placing in Rome, of which five were ordinary and two extraordinary. Switzerland has hosted the most extraordinary congresses with five, though Rome is tied with Geneva and Zurich for the most extraordinary congresses by city with two. Four cities have held both an ordinary and extraordinary congress: Helsinki, London, Paris and Rome. As of 2025, the 49 ordinary congresses have been held in 32 cities, while the 13 extraordinary congresses have been held in 10 cities, for a total of 62 congresses in 37 cities.[5]
Responsibilities
The following matters are within the power of the UEFA Congress:[1]
receipt and consideration of the annual report, financial report and the auditors' report
↑The 45th Ordinary UEFA Congress, originally scheduled for 2 March 2021 in Minsk, Belarus,[15] was later moved to Switzerland due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe,[16] and delayed until 20 April 2021.[17]
↑The 48th Ordinary UEFA Congress, originally to be held in Madrid, Spain,[21] was later relocated to Paris.
References
12"UEFA Congress". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
↑"UEFA Statutes"(PDF). UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. February 2018. Archived(PDF) from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
↑"UEFA Congress"(PDF). UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. Archived(PDF) from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
↑"Editorial". Bulletin officiel de l'UEFA. No.130. Union of European Football Associations. March 1990. Representatives of the mass media who wish to attend the 20th Ordinary Congress of the European Football Union on April 19, 1990, at the Hilton International Hotel in Malta (opening 9.30 hours)...
↑"Geoff Thompson in running for UEFA Executive". SportBusiness. 2000. Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020. The elections will take place at the XXV UEFA Congress, to be held at Alvissa Parc Hotel in Luxembourg on June 30th.
↑"Circular letters". Bulletin officiel de l'UEFA. No.55. Union of European Football Associations. June 1971. 4th Extraordinary Congress of UEFA on June 16th, 1971, in Monte Carlo.
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