Here’s how we got here, and where we’re heading.

Why did WFS start in 2016?

Football was changing fast. New markets, new technologies, new players entering the business with fresh ideas. Traditional stakeholders and disruptors were all part of an industry in transformation, but there wasn’t a neutral meeting point where everyone could connect.

Marian Otamendi, Jan Alessie and their team saw that gap. World Football Summit launched to bring the industry together (clubs, leagues, federations, investors, tech companies, and decision-makers) creating a space to connect, generate business, and build a community where everyone has a voice.

How did one event become a global series?

Because football is a global business, but it’s not the same business everywhere.

The industry needed regional platforms where local decision-makers could connect with global players, where specific challenges could be addressed alongside global trends. So we took WFS to Asia, Africa, America, the Middle East…

Each region taught us something different. In some markets, the timing was perfect, the ecosystem was ready, the stakeholders were hungry for connection. In others, we learnt the hard way that passion for football doesn’t automatically translate into the right conditions for our platform. Not every move worked, but each one made us smarter about where and how we create value.

What started as an annual event in Madrid became a truly global series connecting the ecosystem across regions and continents.

What’s kept WFS relevant for 10 years?

Adaptation. And sometimes, survival.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, our entire business model vanished overnight. Events were impossible. But the industry still needed to connect, maybe more than ever. We launched WFS Live in a matter of weeks, bringing everyone together digitally to keep the conversations going during those critical months. It wasn’t Plan B; it was reinvention under pressure.

That crisis taught us something: our value isn’t in running events. It’s in serving as the industry’s connective tissue, whatever form that takes.

As the industry recognised that business growth, sustainability, and social responsibility aren’t separate conversations, we responded. We put environmental impact on the agenda. We created our Female Leaders Programme to drive gender equality in football. We dedicated space to social impact, inclusion, and the role football plays in creating positive change in communities worldwide.

But we didn’t stop at conversation. We took action. Initiatives like the Most Inclusive Match demonstrated our commitment; not just talking about inclusion, but actively creating moments that embody it.

More recently, the industry called for a consistent meeting point in Saudi Arabia, one of the most dynamic markets in football right now. We established WFS Riyadh, consolidating our presence there.

It’s the same pattern: the industry has a need, we adapt to meet it. Sometimes smoothly. Sometimes by necessity. Always with the commitment to serve the industry first.

Who has endorsed our vision?

The trust we’ve built speaks for itself. When FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, or US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone choose WFS as the platform to share their vision, it validates our role as the industry’s neutral meeting point. When legends like Ronaldo Nazário and Rio Ferdinand, visionaries like Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, or Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus join the conversation, it shows the breadth of perspectives WFS brings together.

The diversity of organisations that trust the platform tells the same story. Governing bodies like FIFA and UEFA. Leagues like LaLiga, Bundesliga, and the Saudi Pro League. Clubs like Chelsea and Club América. Tech giants like Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, and Cisco. Consultancies like BCG. Service providers like Ticketmaster and Signify. Media outlets like Forbes, The Athletic, The Guardian, and Fox Sports.

This isn’t just a speaker list or a partner roster. It’s evidence that we’ve created what we set out to create: a space where everyone in football has a seat at the table.

The numbers back it up:

• 32 events across 11 countries.
• 2,670+ speakers.
• 44,600+ attendees.
• A network of 153,000+ professionals.
• 750+ partners
• 1,900+ brands
• 2,900+ rights holders who’ve made WFS their meeting point.

So what’s next?

We’ll keep adapting. The industry never stops evolving, and neither will we.

A decade at the heart of the industry has taught us that football’s commercial success is inseparable from its soul. This conviction drives our new claim:

“Expanding the business, honouring the essence.”

Expanding the business is our commitment to growth. Professionalisation, new markets, technology that keeps the industry competitive. Maximising the game’s potential as a global economic engine.

Honouring the essence is about protecting what makes football irreplaceable. The emotional bond with fans, the heritage of clubs, the power to mobilise millions aren’t romantic concepts, they’re the foundation of the business. Without the passion that differentiates football from any other entertainment product, the industry loses its value.

We’ve spent ten years proving that these two goals aren’t contradictory. The business exists to amplify what makes the game unique. Our mission for the next decade is to ensure they continue going hand in hand.

We unite the industry not just through events, but through a shared commitment: build a bigger, stronger football business by staying true to what makes it matter.

That’s what the next ten years are about.

And it starts now!