Becoming a FIFA-licensed football agent is a dream for many. It’s an opportunity to be part of the game at the highest level, guiding players, negotiating contracts, and shaping careers. But for some aspiring agents, the biggest hurdle isn’t their knowledge of football regulations—it’s the language of the exam itself.
A Positive Step Forward: German Added to the Exam
Until now, the FIFA agent exam was only available in three languages: English, Spanish, and French. However, starting in June 2025, German will be added for the first time.
This is an important step forward. It shows that FIFA recognizes the need for greater accessibility and is willing to take action. However, as positive as this change is, it doesn’t yet solve the wider issue.
Even with German included, the exam is still out of reach for many aspiring agents from footballing nations where Portuguese, Japanese, Arabic, Indonesian, and other major languages are spoken.
A Challenge for Many Candidates
Before 2015, the FIFA agent exam was available in multiple languages in different countries, making it accessible to a truly global audience. Language wasn’t a barrier to entry. I remember when I took my exam at the German Football Federation headquarters in Frankfurt, and for me, language wasn’t something I had to worry about. I could focus entirely on studying the regulations and preparing for the test.
Today, many candidates don’t have that same advantage. If they don’t speak one of the four official exam languages, they first have to learn a new language before even starting their football studies.
This means:
- A candidate in Brazil has to take the exam in English, Spanish, French, or German but not in Portuguese, even though Brazil is one of the biggest football nations in the world.
- A candidate in Indonesia (with over 200 million people) has no option in Bahasa Indonesia, making the process much harder.
- A Japanese-speaking candidate must learn another language just to have the chance to qualify as an agent, despite Japan’s strong football culture and growing influence in the global game.
A Step Forward, But More Can Be Done
The addition of German is progress, and it’s a sign that FIFA is open to improving accessibility. However, there’s still a long way to go.
A key issue is that there are currently no official study materials available in German. While candidates will now have the opportunity to take the exam in German, they still have to prepare using English, Spanish, or French materials. Hopefully, these resources will be introduced soon, but this shows that the rollout of new languages needs to be more structured to give candidates an equal chance to prepare.
Similarly, with only one exam per year, the challenge becomes even greater. If a candidate fails—especially due to language difficulties—they must wait a full year for another chance. This puts extra pressure on non-native speakers who already have to study in a language that isn’t their own.
A Practical Solution for the Future
With today’s technology, there are secure and reliable ways to offer the exam in more languages. Many universities, businesses, and global institutions conduct high-level exams in multiple languages using AI-powered translation and secure digital platforms.
Expanding the exam into more widely spoken languages—while maintaining security and fairness—would help ensure that talented, knowledgeable professionals from all parts of the world have an equal opportunity to become FIFA agents.
Candidates Are Investing in the Process
While the exam fee is not a significant financial burden (under €100), it is still a paid service. And once an agent passes, they must also pay an annual license fee to maintain their status.
Given this, it seems reasonable to expect that FIFA would continue to invest in making the process fairer and more accessible—by adding more language options over time and ensuring that study materials match the languages offered in the exam.
Football is Global and The Agent Exam Should Be Too
Football is the world’s most universal sport. It’s played, loved, and managed by people from all backgrounds and languages. FIFA has already taken a step in the right direction by adding German to the exam. The next step should be to continue expanding accessibility, ensuring that the process is truly open to talented individuals from every part of the football world.
By using modern technology and making further improvements, FIFA has an opportunity to strengthen the global football ecosystem—creating a fairer, more inclusive system for the next generation of agents.
After all, the goal of the exam should be to identify the best football professionals—not just those who happen to speak one of four specific languages.