A new regulation has been introduced in 2023 at FIFA concerning the profession of soccer agent. This is why we propose in this article to understand in detail what steps to take if you wish to integrate this profession, as well as everything you need to know about your future functions and commitments.

We first show you how to apply for your FIFA license online. We then explain what you need to know about the exam to get your license. And finally, we will give an overview of the job of the agent itself, but also of the imperatives to be respected, in particular in terms of continuing education, throughout your career.

How to become a FIFA players' agent? 

To be eligible for the FIFA Soccer Players Agent role, you must: 

• apply for a license by following this link on the FIFA website: agents.fifa.com (the procedure is reserved for natural persons, i.e. it is not accessible to you as a business);
• meet FIFA's eligibility criteria (you can find them in detail in article 5 of the new regulations and we have compiled a list for you below);
• take and pass at 75% in the FIFA exam;
• and pay an annual fee.

If you are already licensed under the old FIFA regulations (from 1995, 1998, 2001, and 2008 editions), you can be exempted from the examination by providing proof of your license and registration as a FIFA intermediary.

FIFA eligibility criteria are as follows:

• you must not make any false, misleading, or incomplete statements;
• never having been found guilty in criminal proceedings;
• have never been the subject of a suspension of at least two years, an exclusion, or radiation for violation of the rules in terms of ethics or professional conduct;
• not be an official or employee of FIFA (the only exception to this rule is persons appointed or elected to a body of FIFA, a confederation, or a member association to represent the interests of the officers); have no interest in any club, academy, league or centralized league;
• in the 2 years before your license application, you have never been caught providing agent services without possessing the required license;
• in the 5 years before your license application, never having declared to be or to have been personally declared bankrupt or to have been the majority shareholder, director, or manager of a company that declared bankruptcy, went into receivership and/or liquidation;
• in the 12 months before your application, have had no interest in any entity, business, or organization dealing in, organizing, or managing sports betting activities for profit.

What is the process of the player agent exam?

The exam has a duration of 1 hour and is held at the location of your choice, as long as it is the premises of a FIFA member association. You must bring your computer equipment with an internet connection to take the online exam on the FIFA platform.

You must obtain 75% success in the exam, that is to say, you must have at least 15 correct answers to the 20 questions that are asked of you. 

The form exam is a multiple-choice questionnaire. The exam aims to test you on what you know about FIFA regulations and player transfers. You can bring authorized teaching materials.

As for the examination sessions, for the first year of this new regulation, FIFA is offering two:

• April 19, 2023, if you submit your application on the FIFA platform before March 15;
• and September 20, 2023, for applications submitted between May 1 and July 31, 2023.

In 2024 and 2025, there will still be 2 exam sessions per year, which will take place in May and November (for online applications submitted before March 31 and before September 30). The precise dates of the exam days will be set later, visible on the FIFA website, and each candidate who has applied for a license online in time will be informed by a circular.

What are the duties of a FIFA player agent?

Once you have passed the agent exam and have your FIFA license, you are eligible to practice as a soccer agent.

Your main mission as an agent is to represent the player, he becomes your client and you guarantee the quality of the service he receives.

You become the intermediary between him and his club, his coach, and other clubs and associations which will welcome him to all the events of his playing career.

This implies that you must master certain skills which are as follows: 

•  carry out negotiations in the context of player transfers,
•  and manage all activities related to this type of transaction.

In this context, you will have to take care of all the communication upstream of the transfers, and the management of the contracts, and you will have to show perfect transparency in your work, as well as in the calculations of commissions, etc.

If the player you represent is a minor, you must pass specific training modules on the representation of minors and the jurisdiction in force on this subject in the player's country and the different countries where he may be required to play.

What are the commitments as a FIFA player agent?

And now that you have obtained your license, you undertake to comply with the regulations, as well as the FIFA statutes, its code of ethics, its disciplinary code, and the Regulations for the Status and Transfers of Players, which you can find on the website www.fifa.com.

You have, in particular, the duties to: 

• act in the best interest of your client;
• avoid any conflicts of interest in your services;
• and ensure that your client's contracts are always correctly completed and up to standard, with his name, license number, signature, and your name.

As a FIFA player agent, it is also imperative:

• to pay each year the annual contribution which is incumbent on all licensees;
• always meet FIFA's eligibility criteria (Article 5 of the FIFA Agents Regulations) when you renew your license application;
• be up to date with FIFA's continuing professional training requirements (more details in the last part of this article);
• also, meet regular reporting obligations;
• and also undertake to report any violation of FIFA regulations and codes of conduct by members of a confederation or an intermediary association.

FIFA Player Agent Education Requirements

Together with the new agent regulations, there is also a training program that has recently been developed by FIFA, to enable you to strengthen your skills and keep up to date with changes in legislation, knowledge jurisdictional, and other information necessary for the proper performance of your duties, throughout your future career as a player's agent.

After obtaining your license, you will therefore be required each year to meet these professional training obligations within the FIFA program, in the form of modules that will be accessible online on the agent platform.

You will need to complete these modules on an annual basis and in the form of credits to maintain your license.

A program year is understood to run from October 1 to September 30, and it is within this time frame that you will need to obtain:

• for new agents, at least 20 credits per year for 10 years (then 15 credits per year from the 11th year);
• for emeritus agents (i.e. if you obtained your license under a regulation before that of 2023), 40 credits will be required from you each year for 5 years (and 15 credits per year, from the 6th grade).

Each module gives rise to several credits depending on its length, its volume of training hours, and its degree of difficulty. These credits will be subject to a knowledge test and you will have to pass a final assessment with at least 80% correct answers.

To sum up, if you meet the eligibility criteria, you can enter the profession of soccer player agent, within FIFA, by applying online, passing the agent exam, and paying your annual dues. At the end of this process of integrating the profession, you will be able to exercise the functions of an agent, which essentially consists of representing a player. To do this, you will be required throughout your career to learn with continuing education modules provided by FIFA.