Gianni Infantino met with President Emmanuel Macron, among others, while attending the fifth Choose France International Business Summit in Versailles, France. FIFA has a long-standing relationship with France – the country within which it was founded in 1904. Paris was the original home of FIFA from 1904 to 1932, and in June 2021, President Macron joined President Infantino at the inauguration of a new FIFA office in the French capital, which now acts as its base for football development activities. Meanwhile, in 2019 the country hosted the most successful edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in tournament history. It reached more than one billion viewers worldwide, and the round of 16 game between France and Brazil recorded in excess of 58 million viewers across 21 territories, a record for a single FIFA Women’s World Cup game.

In April 2022, the FIFA President was hosted in Paris by then Minister for National Education, Youth Affairs and Sport, Jean-Michel Blanquer, to sign an agreement between world football’s governing body and France – with a view to consolidating football’s place on the school curriculum. The agreement was signed as part of the Football for Schools programme, which FIFA runs in collaboration with UNESCO. During the Summit in Paris, organisers provided updates on the 5,300 foreign investment projects in France between 2017-2020 – and told delegates that France has retained its position as the most attractive country for foreign investment, for the second consecutive year. Established by President Macron four years ago, the Choose France Summit aims to present and explain to large international companies the economic activity of France – and highlight the importance of international investment to support growth, innovation and employment throughout the country.