10th Anniversary Edition of World Football Summit
WFS Madrid — To 10 more years together
15–16 September 2026 · La Nave, Madrid
The 10th anniversary of WFS Madrid brought together over 2,500 industry professionals from 80+ countries at La Nave, celebrating a decade of conversations that redefined how football is owned, commercialised, and consumed. Two days of exchange on institutional capital, governance, women's football, and AI laid the foundations for the next decade of the industry, confirming Madrid as the meeting point for the global football community. Here’s to the path built so far, and to 10 more years together.
THE NUMBERS THAT DEFINED THE EVENT
01
Networking
2,500+
Attendees
23,407
Messages Exchanged
22,131
Contacts Made
1,296
Meetings
02
Knowledge
147
Speakers
40+
Panels
78
Countries
2
Days
03
Platform
29
Partners
150+
Properties
25
Exhibitors
04
Media
1,500
Media Pieces
5B+
Reach
Who was
in the room.
Attendee demographics
Over 2,500 professionals from 78 countries — leaders from clubs, leagues, federations, media, brands and the technology shaping the business of football.
Gender distribution
Gender
Male
77.6%
Female
22.1%
Other
0.3%
Organisation type
By organisation
Where they came from
78 Countries
78
countries
1,138
from Spain
908
international
SPEAKERS
Thibaut
Courtois
Co-Founder | NXTPLAY
Thibaut
Courtois
Thibaut Courtois is Co-Founder of NXTPLAY Capital, a sports investment and media platform spanning sports assets, startups and innovation ecosystems. A professional footballer and two-time Champions League winner, he co-founded the firm to position athletes as shareholders, not ambassadors.
Pedro
De La Rosa
TEAM AMBASSADOR | Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team
Pedro
De La Rosa
Pedro de la Rosa is one of Formula One’s most experienced drivers and test drivers. His career spans Arrows, Jaguar, McLaren, Sauber, HRT, Ferrari and Jordan, alongside success in Japanese Formula 3, Formula Nippon and GT racing. He later served as technical and sporting advisor at Techeetah in Formula E. Since 2022, Pedro has been Team Ambassador for Aston Martin Aramco, sharing his extensive racing, technical and development expertise across the team.
Ornella
Desiree Bellia
Director of Professional Football – Relations and Development | FIFA
Ornella
Desiree Bellia
Ornella Désirée Bellia is a senior international football executive, lawyer, author and lecturer with nearly two decades of experience across governance, business and stakeholder relations. Her career spans clubs, leagues, players and international institutions. After overcoming a life-threatening illness, she wrote The Game of Life, exploring resilience, identity, pressure and purpose. She also lectures in Sports Management and Sports Law and speaks internationally.
Miguel Ángel
Gil Marín
CEO | Atlético de Madrid
Miguel Ángel
Gil Marín
Miguel Ángel Gil has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Atlético de Madrid since 2002. Since joining the organization in 1993 as General Manager, he has successfully led the club to 12 domestic and international titles. In addition to his role at Atlético de Madrid, Mr. Gil is the First Vice President of LaLiga and an executive committee member of both UEFA and the EFC (European Football Clubs).
Michele
Kang
Founder and Chief Executive Officer | Kynisca Sports International
Michele
Kang
Michele Kang is a global football club owner, businesswoman and investor. She is Founder of Kynisca, a multi-club organisation dedicated to women’s football, and majority owner of Washington Spirit, OL Lyonnes and London City Lionesses. She also serves as Chairwoman & President of Olympique Lyonnais and Chairwoman & CEO of Eagle Football Group. Her work focuses on sporting excellence, infrastructure, innovation, commercial growth and long-term investment in women’s sport.
Aki
Mandhar
Chief Executive Officer | Chelsea FC Women
Aki
Mandhar
Aki Mandhar is CEO and President of Chelsea FC Women and the first dedicated CEO appointed in the Women’s Super League. With 25+ years across advertising, journalism and digital media, she has led major transformation and growth initiatives. Previously COO of The Daily Telegraph and International GM at The Athletic, she helped drive its global expansion before its acquisition by The New York Times. She also serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director at STV Group plc.
Juan
Mata
Co-Founder | C_Lab, Common Goal
Juan
Mata
Juan Mata es una de las figuras más reconocidas del fútbol mundial. Campeón del Mundo, de Europa y de la Champions League, ha jugado en clubes como Valencia, Chelsea, Manchester United, Galatasaray y Vissel Kobe. Fuera del campo impulsa iniciativas sociales y empresariales como Common Goal y C_Lab, e invierte en Mercury13 y San Diego FC. Autor de “Suddenly a Footballer”, reúne más de 24M de seguidores y defiende el poder del fútbol para unir.
Laura
McAllister
Vice-President | UEFA
Laura
McAllister
Laura, former captain of Wales, made history in April 2023 as the first female UEFA Vice-President and the first Welsh person elected to UEFA or FIFA. She chairs key committees on gender equality, social responsibility and sustainability, leading UEFA’s work on inclusion, human rights and environmental accountability. Her leadership has helped drive systemic change in governance, representation and fair play across European football.
Maheta
Molango
CEO | Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA)
Maheta
Molango
Maheta Molango is Chief Executive of the PFA, representing footballers in England. A former pro who played for Atlético Madrid, Brighton, Lincoln, Oldham, and Wrexham, he later became a top sports lawyer, advising stars like Antoine Griezmann and Mesut Özil. Fluent in five languages, he was twice ranked among Spain’s best sports lawyers. In 2016 he became CEO of RCD Mallorca, and in July 2021 was appointed to lead the PFA.
Liam
Parker
Chief Communications and Corporate Relations Officer | Formula 1
Liam
Parker
Liam Parker is Chief Communications and Corporate Relations Officer at Formula 1 where he is responsible for all the communications, digital and political engagement strategy, and activity.
Iñigo
Riestra
Secretary General – CLO | FMF
Iñigo
Riestra
Iñigo holds a Law degree from Universidad Anáhuac and master’s degrees in Corporate Law (Universidad Panamericana) and International Sports Law and Management (ISDE, Madrid). He worked nearly 10 years as a corporate lawyer, focusing on contracts, debt placements, and regulatory compliance. He joined FMF in 2013 as Manager of International Affairs and became Director in 2015, representing FMF before FIFA, CONCACAF, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Javier
Tebas
President | LALIGA
Javier
Tebas
Javier Tebas, President of LALIGA since 2013, is a Spanish lawyer with more than three decades of experience in football. His leadership has focused on financial control, the collective sale of audiovisual rights, internationalisation, innovation and data. He has also driven LALIGA’s fight against piracy and violence in football, while supporting the growth of the women’s game and sharing the league’s expertise to help football develop globally.
The Event
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WFS MADRID 2026 IN IMAGES
