Fair play encompasses many aspects of football and manifests itself in a variety of ways on and off the pitch. It can be in playing by the rules and promoting the Laws of the Game, respecting team-mates, opponents, match officials and/or fans, or acting against discrimination. Simply put, fair play is football in its purest form.

Since 1987, FIFA has recognised exemplary fair play with the FIFA Fair Play Award. The honour is bestowed on a player, coach, team, match official, individual fan or fan group in recognition of exemplary fair play behaviour, either on or off the pitch, such as:

The winner of the FIFA Fair Play Award will be selected by a panel of experts representing both FIFA and external football stakeholders.