The UEFA–CONMEBOL memorandum of understanding ()La CONMEBOL y la UEFA amplían el Memorando de Entendimiento
on Conmebol, 15 December 2021 is an agreement between

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

and

CONMEBOL CONMEBOL ( ) or CSF (; ; ), is the continental governing body of football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations. The oldest continental confederation in the world, its headquarters are located in Luque, Parag ...

, the

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

confederations of Europe and South America, respectively, signed between both parties with the aim of achieving close collaboration for the development of this sport in the regions. It was signed on 12 February 2020 and extended on 15 December 2021 in a first stage, and on 2 June 2022 in a second stage. This will permit creation of official championships in the branches of men's, women's, youth and

indoor Indoor(s) may refer to: *the interior of a building *Indoor environment, in building science, traditionally includes the study of indoor thermal environment, indoor acoustic environment, indoor light environment, and indoor air quality *Built envi ...

football and the possibility of exchanging referees in the tournaments organised by both entities. In January 2022, CONMEBOL and UEFA authorities met at the CONMEBOL headquarters in

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, Paraguay, and ratified the agreements they had already signed for future competitions. Both parts also agreed to establish a joint office in London.

Mission and objectives

The memorandum of understanding, MoU seeks to provide assistance and support between both confederations to establish and implement projects and activities related to:CONMEBOL y UEFA renuevan Memorando de Entendimiento
on Argentine Football Association, AFA, 12 February 2020 * the promotion and development of grassroots football, youth football and women's football * the organisation of championships * marketing, legal and social responsibility matters * security; * the promotion of ethical principles and good governance in football

Committees

In order to move forward with the projects, 4 joint committees were created through the memorandum. The strategies of both confederations in the different committees are coordinated in a Joint Representation Office located in London, England, United Kingdom, inaugurated on 4 April 2022. The committees are:

Refereeing

As of the signing of the MoU, a referee exchange program was started, allowing referees and assistant referees appointed by their respective confederation to participate in matches in competitions organised by the other signatory party. Below is the list of referees appointed within the exchange program:

Women's football

The agreement provides a development strategy for this branch in all its member associations, as well as the creation of different competitions. The first women's football championship planned from the MoU is the UEFA-CONMEBOL Women's Finalissima, a tournament that emulates the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions in the women's branch.

Development and coaches

The purpose of this committee is to provide a joint project for the creation of: * Elite young player development programs * Scout (sport), Scout Development * Joint coaching licences: A mutual recognition of titles and Coach (sport), coaching licences (for example, equivalence between UEFA coaching licences, UEFA Pro License and CONMEBOL PRO License) is planned for 2023.

Competitions

The competitions created under the memorandum are the following ones: * Finalissima: a quadrennial match featuring men's football champions of the UEFA European Championship, UEFA Euro and the Copa América, CONMEBOL Copa América. There were two editions prior to the signing of the MoU (1985 Artemio Franchi Cup, 1985 and 1993 Artemio Franchi Cup, 1993). Its relaunch was made official on 28 September 2021, agreeing to organise three new editions. The first of them was held on 1 June 2022 at Wembley Stadium, under the name of 2022 Finalissima, Finalissima. * Under-20 Intercontinental Cup: a biennial match featuring men's football champions of the UEFA Youth League and the U-20 Copa Libertadores. Its first edition was held on 2022 Under-20 Intercontinental Cup, 21 August 2022 at the Estadio Centenario, Centenario Stadium in Montevideo. * Futsal Finalissima: a quadrennial match featuring men's futsal champions and runners-up of the UEFA Futsal Championship and the Copa América de Futsal. The 2022 CONMEBOL–UEFA Futsal Championship, first edition was held 2022 Futsal Finalissima, from 15 to 18 September 2022 at the Movistar Arena Stadium in Buenos Aires. * UEFA–CONMEBOL Women's Finalissima: a quadrennial match featuring women's football champions of the UEFA Women's Championship, UEFA Women's Euro and the Copa América Femenina, Women's Conmebol Copa América. The first edition was played on FIFA Women's International Matchweek of February 2023 in Europe. * UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge: an annual match featuring men's football champions of the CONMEBOL and UEFA's second-tier competitions the UEFA Europa League and CONMEBOL Sudamericana. Its first edition was held on 2023 UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge, 19 July 2023 at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in Seville.

References

2020 in association football 2020 documents UEFA CONMEBOL {{DEFAULTSORT:UEFA-CONMEBOL memorandum of understanding