Farkhunda Muhtaj, captain of Afghanistan’s senior women’s national team, was in Canada when the crisis unfolded. Within hours, she became the single point of contact for a desperate rescue mission. Working with former US military officers, international allies, and humanitarian groups in what became known as Operation Soccer Balls, she helped coordinate the evacuation of over 300 Afghans — including 26 members of the youth national team and their families.

It’s this combination of on-field excellence and off-field impact that makes Muhtaj the perfect choice as Ambassador for the Female Leaders Gathering at WFS Riyadh 2025.

From Refugee to Captain

Originally from Afghanistan, Muhtaj’s own story begins with displacement. She immigrated to Canada at age two and grew up in Scarborough, Toronto. Football became her pathway — from York University varsity captain to Afghanistan’s national team captain by 2018, and now a professional midfielder with Calgary Wild FC in Canada’s Northern Super League.

But her impact extends far beyond the pitch. In 2020, during COVID-19, she co-founded Scarborough Simbas — a non-profit offering free football programming for refugee and newcomer children.

“Refugees and newcomers have always been very dear to my heart because I know the challenges that they face,” she explains.

The organisation has supported over 200 families in five years, providing not just football but mental health support, community check-ins, meals, and quality coaching to help ease the settlement journey.

From Mexico to Riyadh

Muhtaj’s first experience at WFS was during WFS Americas in Monterrey in 2024, where she participated in a panel on inclusion and women’s sport development.

“It was such an impressive experience meeting bold women that are changing the landscape of sport,” she recalls. “I learned a ton from my fellow panelists.”

Now, as Ambassador for the Female Leaders Gathering in Riyadh, she’s looking forward to creating the same kind of meaningful connections.

“I think there’s something impressive about women coming together, collaborating, and then also finding solutions together,” she says. “I genuinely just get inspired when I hear others’ insights and their storytelling.”

She’s particularly excited about the regional focus.

“I’m looking forward to seeing all those beautiful faces from a region that is very much unappreciated at times. Women in the Middle East are just as smart, just as ambitious, and the growth of football specifically has been immense in Saudi Arabia — that’s an opportunity to actually use the platform to share what’s happening.”

Stay in Sport

Her message to young women entering the industry is simple but powerful: stay in the game.

“Whether you become a professional footballer or not, there are so many ways to stay in the game — as a referee, as an administrator, as a founder. You never know where the game will take you.”

She shares one statistic that underscores the point:

“90% of female C-suite executive leaders come from a sporting background. Sport is going to empower you to be the bravest version of yourself.”

“Last year, I was impressed not just by the number of people, but the who’s who,” Mo recalls. “The Deputy Minister of Sports was there, the CEO of the league was there, and big-time personnel from the international world. I have this gut feeling that this year it’s going to be bigger. I’m anticipating bigger names, more football, some announcements happening, because the space is hot. The league is in a better position as well.”

Mo, known for interviewing key figures driving Saudi Arabia’s transformation, spoke to WFS ahead of the event on December 10-11 at Misk City’s Malfa Hall, which will gather over 2,500 industry professionals from 80+ countries.

December 11, 2025 — the second day of WFS Riyadh — marks exactly one year since Saudi Arabia was awarded the 2034 FIFA World Cup. For Mo, what’s happened since goes beyond rhetoric.

“Getting the World Cup showed us that whatever investments we made we actually leave with something,” he explains. “Nine years from now, we’re going to host the biggest event in the world on home soil. So projects are underway.”

Saudi Arabia targetting Top-4 in 2034 World Cup

He points to concrete infrastructure developments: the Aramco stadium in the Eastern Province; the Jeddah Downtown Stadium taking visible shape; King Fahad Stadium undergoing transformation. But Mo also highlights shifts in the domestic league structure that often go unnoticed internationally:

“The commercialization of the league has been phenomenal,” he notes. “Pretty much every team now has their own stadium or is working towards one. In our growing up years, that was not the case.”

He also sees the impact in how the league has evolved through international talent acquisition:

“Standards go up when you bring talent from outside. The league is really exciting to watch today.”

Mo believes the real priority now for the Ministry of Sports is building a competitive national team capable of delivering results at the 2034 World Cup.

“I think the target here is the semifinals. They’re not just looking to not be embarrassed, not just to make it to the top-16, but to actually compete at the highest level,” he said.

Mo highlights the work being done at Mahad Academy, developing 13-15 year-olds who will represent Saudi Arabia in 2034, as critical to achieving these ambitions.

The transformation Islam describes will be the focus of WFS Riyadh 2025, where regional and global industry leaders will take the stage to discuss governance and leadership, infrastructure and investment 2034, talent development, commercialization and media rights, fan engagement, and the role of technology in shaping the game’s future.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Adlene Guedioura (Slane LLC)
• James Bisgrove (CEO, Al Qadsiah)
• Esteve Calzada (CEO, Al Hilal)
• David Dwinger (President, Estrella Football Group)
• Ben Harburg (Owner, Al-Kholood Club)
• Olek Loewenstein (Global President of Sports, Televisa Univision)
• Omar Mugharbel (CEO, Saudi Pro League)
• Magda Pozzo (CCO, Udinese)
• Ralf Reichert (CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation)
• Javier Tebas (President, LALIGA)
• Mohammed Wasfy (CEO, Right to Dream Egypt & FC Masar), among others.

At the recent WFS Madrid, leading executives from both organisations presented  a model rooted in selectivity and culture. Rather than chasing visibility across dozens of assets, New Balance focuses on partnerships that live at the intersection of sport and culture — built on the belief that identity-driven relevance compounds more meaningfully than reach-driven volume.

Values-led partnerships in a performance-driven football economy

New Balance’s positioning in football diverges from the dominant playbook. Rather than racing for scale, the brand has built a smaller, carefully curated footprint — prioritising clubs and athletes who can operate at the intersection of sport and culture.

As New Balance Global  CMO Chris Davis explained, it’s a model designed not for maximum reach, but for cultural relevance, long-term resonance, and identity consistency across markets:  “It’s about being the best and most authentic version of ourselves, not the biggest. We’re not doing things purely to drive revenue or commercial return — we’re doing things to cement authenticity within the marketplace,” Davis said.

Davis contrasted this long-term approach with what he identified as a structural short-termism shaping much of elite football: “Football has been extremely guilty of short-term financial thinking. Too many in football bounce from one sponsor to the next, chasing 5% or 10% more instead of thinking about cultural and community legacy.”

That insight reinforces the brand’s selective approach. New Balance focuses on cultivating partnerships at the intersection of sport and culture — designed to sustain a shared story over time.

This mindset prioritises personality, community engagement and long-horizon brand storytelling over short-term commercial spikes. Internally, the team describes it as operating more like a boutique: not the biggest footprint, but one with clarity and coherence.

As Andrew McGarty, Global Sports Marketing Director at New Balance, explained, the brand’s focus is not on accumulating athletes or shirt deals, but on building cultural alignment.The aim, he suggested, is not scale but curation. The brand wants players and clubs who embody a certain identity —on and off the pitch— capable of representing a point of view in sport and culture rather than simply wearing a product.

“We’re not signing players for what they do on the pitch, they need to do it off the pitch, in the community, be good brand partners, be able to live in that intersection of sports and culture. We’re not looking to sign 50 percent of every team out there, we want that one who is willing to be unconventional and lead.” — Andrew McGarty

Atalanta’s model

The partnership with Atalanta brings that vision to life. New Balance and Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio — both family-owned organisations — share a long-term mindset built on identity and authenticity.

As the club’s Co-Chairman Stephen Pagliuca explained, Atalanta BC has grown through continuity in leadership, a defined sporting model, and a commitment to its academy. “The Atalanta way is to play hard, to be fair, to have high integrity. And we teach that to the kids starting from six years old,” said Pagliuca. “The partnership with New Balance now allows those values and that vision to reach audiences around the world.”

The New Balance Arena reflects that approach. Pagliuca explained how the club renovated the old stadium — much like Boston’s Fenway Park — preserving its iconic character while modernising facilities with parking and luxury boxes. The result, he said, has been transformative for both fans and the club’s partnership with New Balance. He was particularly enthusiastic about the club beneath the stadium, featuring Italian marble and one of the country’s top chefs. “Maybe if you don’t even like football, you should come and eat there,” he joked. “It’s an incredible experience.”

Through the New Balance Arena, both organisations have created a tangible demonstration of their shared approach: selective partnerships, identity-driven storytelling, and infrastructure that reflects values rather than chases scale. The stadium renovation mirrors the partnership philosophy — preserving what matters while evolving what must.

As WFS’s exclusive regional partner, M.A. Sports will help strengthen and grow the WFS brand in Saudi Arabia by developing the right partnerships, supporting investment, and creating real opportunities for clubs, federations, brands, and talent. The partnership is not limited to this year’s summit. It is part of a wider plan to build a long-term presence for WFS in the Kingdom and ensure the platform continues to grow in quality, impact, and relevance.

Majed Al-Ali is recognized for shaping major national initiatives and creating the structures that enable sector growth. Through M.A. Sports, he focuses on steering strategic partnerships, attracting investment, driving commercialization, and embedding global best practice into the Kingdom’s sports vision, all critical elements in WFS’s long-term expansion strategy.

“We are at an extraordinary moment for sport in Saudi Arabia,” said Majed. “Our work with WFS is about nurturing the Saudi sport ecosystem and building long-term value by developing talent pathways, strengthening the industry’s infrastructure, and attracting the right investments and partners. This December’s WFS Riyadh will help drive a wider global dialogue on the future of football, with Riyadh at its core.”

WFS Riyadh will convene leaders from international clubs, leagues, federations, investors, brands, and technology innovators to explore investment trends, media transformation, youth development, and the road toward the AFC Asian Cup and FIFA World Cup 2034.

“The industry needs clear, informed insight into the scale and ambition of Saudi Arabia’s plans,” said Jan Alessie, Co-Founder & Managing Director of World Football Summit. “Majed brings strategic leadership, an understanding of both the national vision and global dynamics, which strengthens our ability to build meaningful, long-term impact in the region.”

The partnership underscores WFS’s strategic focus on the Middle East as a key pillar of its global expansion, with Saudi Arabia at a the center of that vision.

On December 10-11, over 2,500 attendees from 80+ countries will gather at Misk City for WFS Riyadh — the platform where Saudi Arabia’s football leadership connects directly with the global industry. Taking place one year after the Kingdom was awarded the 2034 FIFA World Cup, WFS Riyadh 2025 arrives as this vision continues to accelerate. From the Saudi Women’s Premier League launch to the privatisation of three clubs opening doors to global investment, the past year has seen significant progress. The event will explore what this means for clubs, leagues, federations, brands, and investors worldwide.

WFS Riyadh 2025 is backed by regional and international football properties, with the Saudi Pro League as Institutional Partner and LALIGA among the event’s Corporate Partners. Over two days, the agenda will explore the evolution of Saudi football, the long-term impact of hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the growth of international club partnerships, innovation in technology, and the role of inclusion and sustainability in the game’s future.

The event will be hosted by Mo Islam, presenter of The Mo Show, a popular podcast known for interviewing the key figures driving the social and economic transformation of Saudi Arabia. The agenda will address football’s most relevant topics through panel discussions, roundtables, and fireside chats — connecting business growth with long-term purpose:

• Governance & Leadership: Football’s evolving models of management and ownership.
• Growth & Investment: Capital, infrastructure, and the business of the game.
• Media, Content & Fan Engagement: Broadcasting, storytelling, and the digital transformation of fandom.
• Performance & Development: Talent, academies, and pathways ahead of 2034.
• Innovation & Technology: Data, AI, and smart stadiums shaping performance and fan experience.
• Culture, Community & Purpose: Inclusion, education, and legacy.

Confirmed speakers include: Khalid Alaraifi, (Chief Experience Officer, Misk City), Saleh Alshehri (Footballer, Al-Ittihad), James Bisgrove (CEO, Al Qadsiah), Esteve Calzada (CEO, AL Hilal), Adlene Guedioura (Former player and football expert), Ben Harburg (Owner, Al-Kholood Club), Peter Hutton (Board Member, Saudi Pro League), Magda Pozzo (Chief Commercial Officer, Udinese Calcio), Ralf Reichert (CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation), and Javier Tebas (President, LALIGA), among many others.

WFS Riyadh will take place at Misk City. As the first nonprofit city of its kind, Misk City is a vibrant, human-centric hub where young and creative minds live, learn, share, and grow. Its state-of-the-art facilities and purpose-built design provide an inspiring setting for WFS Riyadh 2025, where leaders and innovators come together to shape the future of football.

Jan Alessie, Co-Founder & Managing Director of World Football Summit, said: “WFS Riyadh has become a must-attend event for football professionals worldwide. This edition feels especially significant — it’s been a year since the 2034 World Cup was awarded, and the progress across the Kingdom has been remarkable. WFS Riyadh gives that progress a global stage while creating real opportunities for dialogue and partnership between regional leadership and international expertise.”

Few people in football combine the authority of a former Ballon d’Or winner with the strategic vision of a senior executive. Nadine Kessler, now Managing Director of Women’s Football at UEFA, brought both perspectives to WFS Madrid, where she offered a grounded yet ambitious take on where the women’s game stands — and where it still needs to go.

Building on a Record-Breaking Summer

Before looking ahead, Kessler reflected on one of the tournaments that has done more than any other in recent times to cement women’s football’s place in the mainstream: UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. “The EURO is obviously our north star,” she said, describing it as one of the most positive events UEFA has ever delivered.

The tournament, held in Switzerland, set new standards for women’s football in every sense. Twenty-nine of the 31 matches were sold out — a milestone that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. It drew travelling fans from 160 countries, with women representing 50% of total attendance — more than triple the share seen in the men’s edition. “Do we attract a new audience with our competitions? Yes,” she said, underscoring the tournament’s role as a key driver not just for national teams but also for club football.

Kessler also credited the media for its part in that success. “I really want to compliment the media,” she said. “It was solely positive.” The combination of sporting quality, fan enthusiasm, and constructive storytelling, she argued, has set a new benchmark for what women’s football can achieve when given the right stage.

That success, however, brings new responsibilities. For Kessler, visibility is no longer the main battle — structure is. The women’s game has the audience, the momentum, and the credibility; now it needs the framework to sustain them.

A Shift from Visibility to Strategy

“The space is not the problem for the women’s football calendar,” she explained. “It’s finding specific days and times that don’t clash with the amount of men’s matches we have going on.”

That distinction — between space and time — may sound subtle, but it points to a deeper truth. Women’s football doesn’t need to be squeezed into football’s existing ecosystem; it needs an ecosystem of its own. One that allows fans, broadcasters, and sponsors to engage fully, rather than as an afterthought between other fixtures.

Kessler also pushed back against the narrative that women’s football has suddenly “arrived.” Its growth, she reminded the audience, is the result of years of work, investment, and belief from those who kept building when few were watching.

Investment, Not Coincidence

“It’s also sometimes a little bit patronising,” she noted, “if you pretend that women’s football wasn’t there before, and now a magical recipe was found for it to be put on a stage that everyone talks about.”

That stage, she argued, has been earned — not gifted. The billions invested by clubs, leagues, and federations in recent years have turned what was once considered a cause into a market of its own. But growth, for Kessler, isn’t just about numbers; it’s about building something sustainable.

“Women’s football is not a victim — it’s a rising star. And investors come in because they see return, they see a road to profitability — and that’s totally legitimate.”

The Next Chapter: Expanding Europe’s Club Game

Looking ahead, Kessler highlighted the launch of UEFA’s new club competition cycle as a major step forward. “We’re really excited to kick off this new cycle,” she said, “because it expands the number of competing teams at European level.” Alongside the Women’s Champions League, the creation of the new Europa Cup aims to broaden access and visibility for clubs across the continent.

The commercial impact is already clear. “Revenues will increase by more than 100%, and the clubs will get all that money,” she explained. UEFA has also secured groundbreaking broadcast partnerships — including deals with Disney+ and free-to-air networks in key markets such as Spain — taking women’s football to 229 countries.

For Kessler, these achievements demonstrate that professionalisation and growth are not abstract goals but measurable realities. “Our role is to provide the best club competition possible,” she said, “one that’s built on sporting merit at the centre of it all.”

From record attendances to global broadcast deals, the message was consistent: women’s football no longer needs to prove its worth. The challenge now is to consolidate that momentum — with structure, strategy, and vision.

With more than 2,500 attendees, 120 speakers, 35 panels and sessions, and 45 exhibitors, this year’s edition became the largest WFS event to date, reaffirming Madrid’s role as a global capital for the football industry.

Over two days, WFS Madrid gathered senior leaders from across the ecosystem to address both headline issues and long-term challenges. The debate around LaLiga’s proposed match in Miami sparked contrasting views on the globalization of domestic competitions, while other sessions focused on how to keep football competitive in an era of accelerated change and increasingly fragmented audiences.

Among the prominent voices shaping the discussion were Fernando Carro (CEO, Bayer Leverkusen), Peter Moore (former CEO, Liverpool FC), Rafael Louzán (President, Royal Spanish Football Federation), André Amaral (CEO, Liga Portugal), Chris Davis (CMO, New Balance), Luca Percassi (CEO, Atalanta BC), Lise Klaveness (President, Norwegian FA), and Nadine Kessler (Director of Women’s Football, UEFA).

Together, they explored how innovation, inclusivity, and a renewed focus on the fan experience can ensure that football remains both a thriving business and a powerful cultural force.

World Football Summit also reaffirmed its global commitment to gender balance and representation, surpassing its long-standing pledge for at least 30% of female speakers — a goal achieved and exceeded at WFS Madrid, where women represented 32% of all speakers.

Beyond the debates and networking sessions, the summit also featured cultural and social highlights, including the WFS Industry Awards, celebrating excellence and leadership across global football, and an exclusive photography exhibition by renowned artist Madeleine Penfold, capturing the beauty, emotion, and diversity of the game.

At World Football Summit, we always strive for more. With Madrid setting a new benchmark, we’re already gearing up for our next chapter — WFS Riyadh, taking place on December 10–11 in Saudi Arabia.

See you there!

The speaker line-up reflects the diversity of the global game, with confirmed names including Grace Ahrens (Executive Director at Women in Soccer), Fernando Carro (CEO at Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Chris Davis (Brand President & CMO of New Balance), Lise Klaveness  (President of the Norwegian FA), Nadine Kessler (Director of Women’s Football at UEFA), Rafael Louzán (President of RFEF), Peter Moore (owner of Santa Barbara Sky FC) and Stephen Pagliuca (Co-Chairman of Atalanta B.C.).

At the core of WFS is an enduring commitment: driving business growth while promoting a football industry that is sustainable, diverse and accessible. This balance runs across the agenda, which combines deal-making with conversations on how football’s global reach can deliver positive impact.

The programme will once again include the Female Leaders Gathering, a flagship initiative that celebrates women’s leadership in sport and fosters the networks needed to build a more inclusive and equitable game.

On 15 October, the WFS Awards will take place at Madrid’s iconic Teatro Eslava, recognising outstanding executives, organisations and projects across the global game. This year’s winners include Paris Saint-Germain CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Italian Football Association (FIGC), Juventus FC and the Allianz Arena.

New Employability Area powered by FutbolJobs

Among the new features of this edition, WFS Madrid 2025 will include an Employability Area, managed by FutbolJobs, where attendees will have the chance to connect with clubs, agencies and organisations seeking new talent. This edition also brings back the WFS StartCup, the startup competition that showcases and accelerates the most innovative ventures in football, with more than 100 projects submitted.

“We are delighted to return to Madrid, and to a venue like La Nave — a place that, much like WFS, has innovation in its DNA,” said Marian Otamendi, CEO of WFS. “Our mission has always been to connect football’s stakeholders. That is more relevant than ever as the industry faces unprecedented change. WFS Madrid will provide both the insight and the connections needed to navigate this transformation.”

Since 2016, WFS has hosted over 30 international events, welcoming nearly 40,000 participants. Today, annual editions are held in Spain, Morocco, Mexico, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, combining a global outlook with a local perspective.

The 2025 edition featured eleven categories showcasing innovation, social impact, sustainability and growth on and off the pitch. In total, more than 135 applications were submitted from 20 countries across six continents, confirming the Awards’ position as a benchmark of excellence in football.

LIST OF WINNERS:

Best Executive presented by Excel Search & Advisory

Winner: Nasser Al-Khelaïfi (Paris Saint-Germain).
Finalists: Jessica Berman (NWSL) & Esteve Calzada (Al Hilal FC).

Chairman of beIN Media Group and Qatar Sports Investments, and President & CEO of Paris Saint-Germain, who conquered its first UEFA Champions League in 2025, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has been honored for leading PSG’s global expansion while promoting sustainability, diversity and community impact.

Best Digital Transformation presented by N3XT Sports

Winner: Al Nassr x Condor Media.
Finalists: Playback Sports AI & Club Brugge Loyalty.
Al Nassr’s alliance with Condor Media created a global digital powerhouse, combining personalized content, AI-powered campaigns and multilingual platforms to engage millions of fans worldwide.

Best Growth Strategy presented by Deloitte 

Winner: Zebras FC (Juventus FC).
Finalists: West Ham United & Playback Sports AI.
In 2025, Juventus became the first professional club to join the Kings League, co-creating Zebras FC as a bold brand extension. Rooted in Juventus’ identity, Zebras FC blended football, entertainment, and creator-led content to engage Gen Z, deliver cultural relevance, strategic impact, and position the club as a digital-first innovator.

Best Venue presented by UN Tourism 

Winner: Allianz Arena (FC Bayern).
Finalists: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta United) & Johan Cruyff Arena (AFC Ajax).
Home to FC Bayern, the Allianz Arena has become Europe’s greenest football venue thanks to cutting-edge sustainability upgrades such as heat pumps, EV charging infrastructure, climate-smart lighting, hybrid turf and zero-waste policies.

Best Women’s Football Initiative presented by Women in Football 

Winner: FAW – Cymru WEURO25 Campaign.
Finalists: Kigezi Women Football Tournament & World Sevens Football (W7F).
The Football Association of Wales WEURO25 campaign used the slogan “For Us. For Them. For Her.” to break down financial and cultural barriers to inspire a nationwide movement for equality in football. The campaign achieved a cumulative media reach of 8.35 billion and doubled spontaneous national awareness of Cymru’s participation.

Eli Wolff Football Without Limits presented by Integrated Dreams 

Winner: Il Calcio è di Tutti (FIGC).
Finalists: Genuine Cup & Connect & Unsilence The Crowd.
By launching Italy’s first-ever national football tournament for athletes with disabilities as a fully integrated part of the national ecosystem, Il Calcio è di Tutti made football a space without walls, inspiring cultural change and new inclusive models.

Football for Good presented by Common Goal

Winner: Enabling Leadership Play (EL Play).
Finalists: Fields of Change (YFC Rurka Kalan) & Sport for Good at Malaika.
Enabling Leadership Play used football as a learning tool in marginalized communities, empowering youth through play-based education and creativity. The project showed football as a gateway to brighter futures and lasting hope in fragile environments.

Marcus Rashford Award presented by FIFPro

Winner: Jan Vertonghen Foundation.
Finalists: André Onana Foundation & Marc Klok Foundation.Led by former Belgium international Jan Vertonghen, the foundation transforms hospital wards into playful and creative spaces, bringing dignity and hope to vulnerable children in Belgium and beyond. Inspired by personal gratitude, Vertonghen’s work delivered smiles and play to those who need it most.

Most Impactful Branding Initiative presented by SUMMA

Winner: Club América.
Finalists: Sporting CP & Arabian Gulf Cup Kuwait 2024.Club América redefined its identity by moving beyond “Ódiame más” and reconnecting with its heritage through the reunion with Adidas, reaching 34 million users, generating 100 million views and strengthening ties with fans in Mexico, the US and beyond.

Most Innovative Supplier presented by SportsTechX

Winner: wehave x RSCA x Sunweb.
Finalists: ReSpo.Vision & Golstats.
The 2025 wehave x RSCA x Sunweb partnership proved how football, travel and data innovation can drive measurable impact. With 3,226 fan bookings and clear revenue growth, it set a new benchmark for sponsorship value and fan-driven engagement.

Women in Leadership presented by Women in Soccer 

Winner: Diana Matheson (Northern Super League).
Finalists: Irantzu Díez-Gamboa (Mediapro North America) & Khalida Popal (Girl Power Organisation).
Diana Matheson spearheaded the creation of Canada’s Northern Super League, answering a decade-long need for a professional women’s league. Drawing on her experience as a former international, she built coalitions of teams, investors and supporters, making the Northern Super League a reality in 2025.

“It is a privilege to celebrate the winners of the WFS Awards 2025. The variety of initiatives and countries represented reflects the diversity that defines today’s football industry and reinforces WFS’ commitment to represent and give a voice to all stakeholders across the ecosystem,” said WFS Co-Founder and Managing Director, Jan Alessie.

Since their inception, the WFS Awards have honored excellence and purpose in football, reflecting the industry’s transformation into a true economic and social driver. The 2025 edition will culminate on October 15 with a gala at Joy Eslava, as part of WFS Madrid, with trophies designed and 3D-printed from recycled plastic by Nagami, underlining WFS’s commitment to sustainability.

Every sports executive knows the feeling: you’re sitting in a boardroom, looking at flat revenue projections, saturated sponsorship markets, and increasingly skeptical investors asking about your ESG strategy. Meanwhile, your youngest demographic is walking away from brands that don’t stand for something meaningful.

The uncomfortable truth? Traditional sports business models are hitting a ceiling just as society’s biggest challenges demand solutions at unprecedented scale.

But what if I told you that the world’s most beloved sport was about to become the planet’s most powerful longevity platform—and create entirely new economic opportunities in the process?

Welcome to the Era of Healing-Sports

But first, let’s be crystal clear about what we’re actually talking about:

• What is FC Mother? An organization that uses football’s massive global reach to tackle the world’s most pressing public health challenges. Instead of clubs just entertaining fans, they become forces for solving real-world problems, starting with maternal health and well-being.

• Who is it for? It is for football clubs, leagues, and federations looking to generate measurable health impact and build new revenue streams through a purpose-driven initiative. Most importantly, it supports millions of mothers worldwide, empowering communities and generating historic longevity gains for the global football community.

• What’s it for?  FC Mother’s mission is to dramatically improve maternal health, generate substantial longevity gains, and demonstrate how sports can be society’s most effective platform for solving complex global health issues. By turning passion into measurable impact, FC Mother is redefining the potential of sports as a transformative social force.

Here’s the stark reality: every 90 seconds, a woman dies from pregnancy-related causes that are entirely preventable. That’s faster than a typical football substitution. While we debate transfer fees in millions, the economic impact of maternal mortality costs the global economy $27 trillion. But here’s what makes this different: football’s reach is so vast, its emotional connection so deep, that it can actually move the needle on these numbers.

FC Mother is pioneering the new category of “Healing-Sports” (H-Sports)—a fundamental reimagining of how sports organizations create value by becoming public health vehicles. This isn’t corporate social responsibility as an afterthought. This is sport as a measurable, scalable solution to humanity’s greatest challenges.

The numbers are staggering:

• $27 trillion: The global economic burden associated with poor maternal health outcomes.
• $140,000: The value of each “Life Year” generated, quantified and validated through health improvements.
• 400 clubs: FC Mother’s ambitious goal by 2034, enabling the initiative to support 13 million mothers annually.
• 270 million Life Years: FC Mother’s projected impact by 2034 by leveraging football’s social power to scale maternal health support.

FC Mother is not just another initiative dressing in football colors. It has created the “World Cup of Healing”—a groundbreaking competition where clubs actively compete to enhance maternal health, generate longevity, and transform communities.

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The Business Case That Changes Everything

Beyond Traditional Revenue: The Life Years Economy

While traditional sports struggle with declining attendance and cord-cutting, H-Sports opens access to a $250 billion pool of impact-based funding. Imagine sponsorship deals where brands pay premiums not just for logo placement, but for measurable longevity gains. Picture investors who see sports properties as direct solutions to global challenges worth trillions.

FC Mother’s innovative results-based funding mechanism transforms maternal health improvements into a quantifiable economic asset. By generating measurable health outcomes, football clubs can access new, supplemental revenue streams directly tied to their community impact. This approach aligns financial success with meaningful social outcomes, creating tangible value for clubs, sponsors, and investors alike.

The ESG Imperative: From Compliance to Competitive Advantage

Today’s investors aren’t just asking about ESG—they’re demanding it. Sports organizations that can demonstrate measurable social impact aren’t just checking boxes; they’re creating competitive advantages. When a club can show that their community programs directly save lives and improve health outcomes, they’re not just doing good—they’re doing business differently.

FC Mother’s partnership with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation provides the academic rigor and measurement frameworks that institutional investors demand.

Fan Engagement in the Purpose Economy

The data is clear: younger demographics gravitate toward brands with authentic social purpose. FC Mother transforms fandom from passive consumption to active participation in solving global challenges. Fans don’t just support their team; they support their team’s mission to generate Life Years to their community.

This isn’t theoretical. FC Mother transforms fans from passive supporters to active contributors in maternal health initiatives. Leading football clubs such as CR Flamengo, San Diego FC, and Tigres UANL have already enrolled in the FC Mother program. These clubs are becoming vital public health partners, fostering deeper connections with their fan bases and generating measurable longevity gains for their communities.

In practice, this includes hosting family-focused activities and group workshops that emphasize social-emotional support for new or expecting mothers. Youth academies are expanding their roles, training not only future athletes but also community health advocates who engage families in health education. Clubs are introducing fan engagement campaigns that allow supporters to track their team’s “Life Years Gains” alongside traditional league standings. Additionally, maternal health workshops held at club training facilities and informative health content shared through clubs’ extensive social media reach are directly empowering millions of mothers in their pregnancy journey.

Why World Football Summit? Why Now?

This partnership isn’t accidental—it’s strategic alignment at its finest. World Football Summit has spent years building the definitive platform where sports innovation meets business opportunity. We’ve watched our community grapple with questions about sports’ role in society, the pressure for authentic social impact, and the search for sustainable new revenue models.

FC Mother represents the convergence of every major trend we’ve been tracking: the ESG imperative, the purpose-driven consumer shift, the search for differentiated fan engagement, and the emergence of impact-based funding models. When we saw an initiative that could activate football’s global infrastructure to solve humanity’s oldest challenge while creating new economic opportunities, the partnership became inevitable.

World Football Summit isn’t just hosting FC Mother—we’re co-creating the roadmap for sports’ next evolution. Our platform, network, and credibility in the sports business ecosystem make us the ideal launchpad for introducing Healing-Sports to the industry.

Everything Changes on July 10th in New York

At our event in New York City, FC Mother is unveiling the “Legacy roadmap for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.” This isn’t just another event—it’s the public launch of a movement that will redefine sports business.

The timing is perfect. The 2026 World Cup presents an unprecedented opportunity to showcase how football can be the world’s largest longevity platform. The inaugural “World Cup of Healing” will run parallel to FIFA’s tournament, creating a global conversation about football’s role in solving humanity’s greatest public health challenges.

The Skeptic’s Questions, Answered

“How do you scale this?” FC Mother’s model leverages football’s existing global infrastructure. They’re not building new systems—they’re activating existing ones for health outcomes.

“How does this integrate with core business?” The beauty of H-Sports is that it enhances rather than disrupts existing operations. Community programs become health interventions. Fan engagement becomes social impact activation. Sponsorship becomes measurable social change.

“Is this sustainable?” With $27 trillion in global health challenges and a $252 billion impact funding pool, the question isn’t whether it’s sustainable—it’s whether sports organizations can afford to ignore it. Every minute we spend debating this, another woman dies from preventable pregnancy complications. The moral and economic imperatives are aligned.

The Future is Healing

We’re witnessing the birth of a new category that transforms sports from entertainment to essential social infrastructure. The organizations that understand this shift first will create insurmountable competitive advantages.

FC Mother represents more than a partnership—it’s a preview of sports’ future. A future where clubs generate revenue by solving problems, where fans engage by creating change, and where the business of sport becomes the business of healing.

The question isn’t whether this transformation will happen, but rather when. Join the movement!

And join us in New York on July 10th. Because the future of sports isn’t just about winning games—it’s about saving lives.

World Cup of Healing takes place July 10th. For sports industry professionals ready to understand and capitalize on the Healing-Sports revolution, this is where it begins.

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