UEFA/50^th Ordinary Congress: "European football’s future is bright" (Aleksander Ceferin)

"Leaders come and go. Empires rise and fall. Football stays - season after season, generation after generation. Deeply woven into the fabric of our communities. We must keep it that way. Football cannot be bought or sold. It will never be closed. It is for all. And what belongs to everyone is stronger than any single force. This is why, my friends, European football’s future is bright," said Aleksander Ceferin, president of UEFA, at the European Confederation's 50^th Ordinary Congress held in Brussels (Belgium), on 12/02/2026.

"Over the past cycle, our game was challenged like never before. A global pandemic. Wars. Geopolitical tensions. Economic pressure. Yet, European football held its line. It held because we chose unity over fragmentation. Because we chose stewardship over improvisation. Because we were driven by the conviction that European football’s future is bright," added the Slovenian.

Aleksander Ceferin reviewed the year 2025, notably highlighting the strong relationships UEFA maintains with all stakeholders in football: the national associations it represents, the domestic…