In May 2015, the US Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging 14 FIFA officials with racketeering and fraud. ² An additional 16 FIFA officials were charged in December 2015, according to WBAL-TV. ¹ The 14 and 16 figures refer to officials charged in two waves in 2015, while WBAL-TV reports that the investigation ultimately resulted in charges against more than 50 people and corporations from more than 20 countries, a figure that includes both individuals and corporate entities across the full investigation but remains uncorroborated by a second source. ¹

According to Cleary Gottlieb, a law firm that represented defendants in the cases and thus had direct knowledge of case outcomes, the DOJ secured 27 individual guilty pleas, 4 corporate guilty pleas, and 4 trial convictions. ¹ This tally has not been independently verified by a second source or public DOJ records. ¹

Jeffrey Webb, a FIFA vice president, pleaded guilty in November 2015 to racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering charges. ² According to Wikipedia, Webb agreed to forfeit more than $6.7 million as part of his guilty plea, though no second source confirms this figure. ¹ The Guardian reports that Webb abused his position to obtain bribes and kickbacks for his personal benefit from 2012 to 2014. ¹

Open: The status of many individuals named in the original 2015 indictments remains unclear; available sources provide detailed outcomes for fewer than a dozen defendants while DOJ charged more than 50 people and entities

Chuck Blazer, a member of FIFA's executive committee, secretly pleaded guilty in November 2013 to 10 criminal counts, according to Voice of America. ¹ Sports Illustrated and Voice of America report that Blazer acted as an FBI informant and cooperated with the US investigation. ³

Voice of America and ESPN report that Blazer admitted he and others on FIFA's executive committee accepted bribes in connection with the choice of France as host of the 1998 World Cup and accepted bribes linked to the 2010 event awarded to South Africa. ³ This admission directly implicated the highest levels of FIFA in corruption that influenced World Cup host selections across more than a decade. ²

According to Sports Illustrated, Blazer forfeited $1,958,092.72 that prosecutors said he received from bribes, kickbacks, and illegal World Cup ticket sales. ³ The same outlet reports Blazer owed the IRS $11 million in unpaid taxes. ² Neither figure has been corroborated by a second source.

Open: Most financial forfeiture and fine amounts are reported by single sources without independent corroboration, including Webb's $6.7 million forfeiture, Marin's $1.2 million fine, Napout's nine-year sentence and associated financial penalties, and Blazer's $11 million IRS debt

José Maria Marin, former president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, was found guilty in December 2017 of corruption after a five-week trial in a New York federal court, BBC Mundo reports. ¹ OCCRP reports that Marin was convicted of six conspiracy counts including racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering, though BBC Mundo confirms the December 2017 guilty verdict without specifying the six-count detail. ² In August 2018, Marin was sentenced to four years in prison. ¹

OCCRP and Courthouse News report that the judge ordered Marin to pay $3,335,593 in forfeiture. ¹ According to Courthouse News, evidence at trial proved Marin collected over $3.3 million in bribes. ² Courthouse News reports that, according to trial evidence, Marin used bribe money for lavish purchases including over $20,000 at Hermès in Paris, $50,000 at Bulgari in Las Vegas, and over $10,000 at Chanel in New York, though this detail comes from a single source and has not been independently corroborated. ² OCCRP reports the judge imposed a fine of $1,200,000 on Marin, which has not been independently corroborated. ¹

Juan Ángel Napout, former president of CONMEBOL, was found guilty of corruption in December 2017 after the same five-week trial. ² BBC Mundo reports that Napout was accused of accepting $10.5 million in bribes. ¹ According to ESPN Deportes, Napout was sentenced to nine years in prison in August 2018 and was fined $1 million and ordered to return $3.3 million received through bribes. ¹ Neither the nine-year sentence nor the financial penalties have been confirmed by a second source.

Open: The total number of convictions and guilty pleas secured by the DOJ remains unverified by independent sources; the figure of 27 individual pleas, 4 corporate pleas, and 4 trial convictions comes from Cleary Gottlieb, a law firm that represented defendants and thus had direct knowledge of case outcomes, but no independent public DOJ tally corroborates the figure; Most financial forfeiture and fine amounts are reported by single sources without independent corroboration, including Webb's $6.7 million forfeiture, Marin's $1.2 million fine, Napout's nine-year sentence and associated financial penalties, and Blazer's $11 million IRS debt

According to The Guardian, evidence at the FIFA corruption trial involved dozens of records showing payments to offshore shell companies and complex banking transactions. ¹ The same outlet reports that ledgers used thinly disguised code names documenting amounts to be paid by corrupt sports marketing companies, and that witnesses testified about six- and seven-figure sums while bank records revealed how money was transferred. ¹ None of these evidentiary details have been corroborated by a second source.

Wikipedia reports that the 2015 case alleged use of bribery, fraud, and money laundering to corrupt the issuing of media and marketing rights estimated at $150 million, though this allegation has not been independently corroborated and the sources do not indicate whether it was proven in court. ¹ According to the same source, at least $110 million in bribes were alleged to be related to the Copa América Centenario tournament, an allegation that remains uncorroborated. ² Wikipedia also reports that Nike was alleged to have paid at least $40 million in bribes for sponsorship contracts, an unproven allegation from the indictment reported by a single source; the sources do not indicate Nike was charged or that the allegation was proven in court. ¹ All three financial allegations remain uncorroborated. ¹

Open: The total number of convictions and guilty pleas secured by the DOJ remains unverified by independent sources; the figure of 27 individual pleas, 4 corporate pleas, and 4 trial convictions comes from Cleary Gottlieb, a law firm that represented defendants and thus had direct knowledge of case outcomes, but no independent public DOJ tally corroborates the figure; The precise legal reasoning in multiple Swiss acquittals beyond the Blatter-Platini case, and whether Swiss prosecutors concluded evidence was insufficient or that conduct was not criminal under Swiss law

In a significant setback for US prosecutors, Judge Pamela K. ¹ Chen on September 1, 2023, granted judgment of acquittal for Full Play Group and Hernán Lopez, overturning their FIFA bribery convictions. ² Judge Chen ruled that the federal honest services fraud statute does not cover foreign commercial bribery, according to Cleary Gottlieb and CNN. ¹

CNN reports that in May 2026, a federal judge dismissed criminal charges against Hernán Lopez and Full Play Group after the US Justice Department said the case no longer fits the Trump administration's priorities, though this stated rationale comes from a single source and has not been independently corroborated. ¹ This dismissal represented a complete reversal of the prosecution's initial success in obtaining convictions. ¹

Open: The total number of convictions and guilty pleas secured by the DOJ remains unverified by independent sources; the figure of 27 individual pleas, 4 corporate pleas, and 4 trial convictions comes from Cleary Gottlieb, a law firm that represented defendants and thus had direct knowledge of case outcomes, but no independent public DOJ tally corroborates the figure; What evidence, if any, the preliminary FBI investigation into Argentina's AFA has uncovered and whether charges may eventually be filed

Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice president, was one of 14 people named in a 47-count indictment by US authorities in May 2015, according to Associated Press and Sport Resolutions. ² Sport Resolutions reports that Warner received a life ban from FIFA in 2015. ²

However, Warner has never faced trial in the United States. Associated Press and Sport Resolutions report that Trinidad and Tobago's high court in September 2024 permanently stayed extradition proceedings against Warner due to the absence of an official extradition agreement with the United States. ² Warner remains in Trinidad, beyond the reach of US prosecutors nearly a decade after his indictment.

Ricardo Teixeira, former president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, was indicted by US federal prosecutors in 2015 but never faced trial, according to CBC Sports. ² In November 2019, FIFA banned Teixeira for life and fined him 1 million Swiss francs for taking millions of dollars in bribes. ² CBC Sports reports that Teixeira was found guilty of taking bribes linked to commercial contracts for South American competitions from 2006-12, though this finding refers to FIFA's own disciplinary process rather than a criminal court. ³

Open: The total number of convictions and guilty pleas secured by the DOJ remains unverified by independent sources; the figure of 27 individual pleas, 4 corporate pleas, and 4 trial convictions comes from Cleary Gottlieb, a law firm that represented defendants and thus had direct knowledge of case outcomes, but no independent public DOJ tally corroborates the figure; Most financial forfeiture and fine amounts are reported by single sources without independent corroboration, including Webb's $6.7 million forfeiture, Marin's $1.2 million fine, Napout's nine-year sentence and associated financial penalties, and Blazer's $11 million IRS debt

Swiss federal prosecutors pursued a separate track, investigating former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini over a 2 million Swiss franc payment from FIFA to Platini in 2011. ² Le Monde, BBC, and Deutsche Welle report that the case involved this payment, which both men claimed was deferred compensation for advisory work from 1998-2002. ³

ESPN, Le Monde, BBC, Deutsche Welle, and ZDF report that Blatter and Platini were first acquitted in 2022 and acquitted again on appeal in March 2025. ³ In August 2025, Swiss federal prosecutors ended their case against both men after the two acquittals. ² The acquittals mean prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the payment was illegitimate; the courts did not affirmatively certify the payment as legitimate. ² Both men maintained it was deferred compensation for advisory work from 1998 to 2002.

Open: The precise legal reasoning in multiple Swiss acquittals beyond the Blatter-Platini case, and whether Swiss prosecutors concluded evidence was insufficient or that conduct was not criminal under Swiss law

Gianni Infantino, who became FIFA president in 2016, also faced investigation. ² According to BBC Sport, proceedings against Infantino were opened in July 2020 over alleged secret meetings with Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber, though this claim comes from a single source. ²

Deutsche Welle reports that FIFA's independent ethics committee cleared Infantino of any alleged breach of its code in August 2020. ² BBC Sport reports that Swiss prosecutors closed a criminal case against Infantino in October 2023. ² Infantino has remained FIFA president throughout these investigations and their resolution in his favor. ²

Jerome Valcke, FIFA's former secretary general, faced multiple prosecutions with varying results. According to Yahoo Sports, Valcke was acquitted for a third time on charges of criminal mismanagement harming FIFA in January 2025. The same outlet reports that three Swiss federal courts ruled there was no wrongdoing in a deal between PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and Valcke. ² Both claims come from a single aggregator source.

However, Yahoo Sports also reports that Valcke was convicted on separate charges related to forgery and kickbacks for World Cup broadcast rights in Italy and Greece and received an 11-month suspended sentence. This conviction stands in contrast to his multiple acquittals on other charges.

Open: The total number of convictions and guilty pleas secured by the DOJ remains unverified by independent sources; the figure of 27 individual pleas, 4 corporate pleas, and 4 trial convictions comes from Cleary Gottlieb, a law firm that represented defendants and thus had direct knowledge of case outcomes, but no independent public DOJ tally corroborates the figure; The status of many individuals named in the original 2015 indictments remains unclear; available sources provide detailed outcomes for fewer than a dozen defendants while DOJ charged more than 50 people and entities

Some jurisdictions proved unable or unwilling to prosecute FIFA-related corruption. ² Consultor Jurídico, a Brazilian legal publication, reports that Brazil cannot prosecute FIFA-related corruption because private-to-private bribery is not criminalized under Brazilian law. ² This legal gap meant that despite Brazilian officials' involvement in the schemes proven in US courts, Brazil could not bring domestic charges. ²

As of 2026, some investigations remain in preliminary stages. Al Día News reports that no US charges have been filed against Argentina's AFA or officials Claudio Tapia and Pablo Toviggino, and the FBI probe remains preliminary, though this claim comes from a single source. ² This claim indicates that investigations into some national football associations have not advanced to prosecution nearly a decade after the original 2015 indictments.

Open: What evidence, if any, the preliminary FBI investigation into Argentina's AFA has uncovered and whether charges may eventually be filed

Available sources document detailed outcomes for fewer than a dozen defendants, while WBAL-TV reports that DOJ charged more than 50 people and corporations. ¹ The status of most individuals named in the original 2015 indictments is not established by the sources reviewed. The gap between the total number charged and the number with documented outcomes remains unexplained in available reporting.

Open: The total number of convictions and guilty pleas secured by the DOJ remains unverified by independent sources; the figure of 27 individual pleas, 4 corporate pleas, and 4 trial convictions comes from Cleary Gottlieb, a law firm that represented defendants and thus had direct knowledge of case outcomes, but no independent public DOJ tally corroborates the figure; The status of many individuals named in the original 2015 indictments remains unclear; available sources provide detailed outcomes for fewer than a dozen defendants while DOJ charged more than 50 people and entities