FIFA 2026 Agent Exam: syllabus, format, difficulty and preparation strategies

In April 2023, the first FIFA exam for football agents under the new RFAF had a pass rate of52 %. In 2024 it dropped to40,4 %. In June 2025 it fell to18 %—that is, more than 4 out of 5 candidates failed. And this with an exama open book.

If you are thinking about taking the April 2026 exam, you need to understand that this is not a procedure: it is one of the most difficult certification tests in professional sports. FIFA has deliberately raised standards to ensure that only truly qualified professionals operate in the player representation market.

But with the right preparation, passing is absolutely possible. In this article I explain in detail the format of the 2026 exam, what topics it covers, how the questions are designed, and the most effective preparation strategies to maximize your chances.

What this article covers

Exam format: structure, duration, languages
The online exam with remote invigilation: how it works
Calendar 2026: key dates
Evolution of the approval rate: from 52% to 18%
Complete agenda: the 8 blocks of regulations + circulars
Which sections are the most asked
Question types: comprehension, case study and application
Preparation Strategies: 7 Proven Tactics
Pre-Exam Readiness Check: the filter that many ignore
What happens if you fail: review and re-examination

2026 exam format

Appearance	Detail
Format	Online with remote surveillance (from your own private location)
Questions	20 multiple choice questions (select one or more correct answers)
Duration	60 minutes(approximately 3 minutes per question)
Approval note	75 %—at least 15 out of 20 correct answers
Open book	Yes — you can consult the official study material during the test
Languages	Spanish, French or English (your choice)
Random questions	Each candidate receives a unique set randomly generated from the FIFA database
Penalty for incorrect answer	No—it is always advisable to respond, never leave blank

The online exam with remote supervision

From 2025, the exam is no longer taken at the facilities of the member association. Gives uponline from your own location, with two mandatory devices:

Computer (laptop or desktop):With webcam and functional microphone, compatible with the FIFA platform. It is your main tool to respond.

Smartphone:With the FIFA exam app installed. It functions as an additional monitoring device to ensure the integrity of the exam.

Space matters:You must be in a spaceprivate and silent. Public spaces (cafes, libraries, coworkings) are not allowed. If a technical irregularity or identity verification failure is detected, your attempt is automatically cancelled. FIFA is strict about this.

Calendar 2026

Date	Event
January 20, 2026	Opening of the application period
March 6, 2026 (23:59 Zurich time)	Closing of applications
March 29, 2026	Deadline for requests for medical accommodation, change of language, time or location
April 14, 2026	Closing of the Pre-Exam Readiness Check window
April 28, 29 and 30, 2026	Exam dates
5, 6 and 7 May 2026	Additional sessions (only if April sessions are completed or for organizational reasons)
June 4, 2026	Results publication

Evolution of difficulty: numbers don't lie

Year	Pass rate	Context
April 2023	52 %	First exam of the new RFAF. 3,800 candidates, 1,962 passed.
2024	40,4 %	Increased difficulty. More complex questions with practical application.
June 2025	18 %	Difficulty record. 16,117 applications, only ~18% passed. First year with a single annual call.

Key data from 2025:Of the 16,117 applications received, only9,148 candidateswere actually scheduled for the exam (some did not meet eligibility, others did not complete the requirements). And of those, only5.122 (56 %)completed the mandatory Pre-Exam Readiness Check. That is, thousands of candidates did not even sit for the exam because they did not complete the previous steps.

Complete syllabus: study blocks

The exam is based on theFIFA Football Agent Exam Study Materialpublished by FIFA for each call. The documents that make up the 2026 agenda:

RFAF and FAQs
The Agents Regulations are the most directly relevant document. Covers licenses, representation contracts, commissions, conflicts of interest, ongoing obligations. The FAQs clarify practical interpretations.

RETJ (Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players)
One of the most complex documents. Covers player status, registration, international transfers, loans, minors (art. 19),training rights, solidarity mechanism, and termination of contracts. The annexes are critical — they contain calculations and tables that appear on the exam.

FIFA Statutes
The judicial bodies (arts. 48-58) are especially important: the chambers of theFIFA Football Tribunal, theTAS, jurisdiction, dispute resolution.

Code of Ethics + Disciplinary Code
Ethics: bribery, manipulation, gambling, conflicts of interest. Disciplinary: incorrect behavior, discrimination,match-fixing, procedures. The September 2025 reforms to the Disciplinary Code are on the agenda.

FIFA Guardians
FIFA's child safeguarding tool. Covers the 5 principles of conduct towards minors and the 5 steps to protect them. Includes a course with practical questions that simulate the exam format.

Ethical Recruitment Guide + FIFA Circulars
New in 2026:the Ethical Recruitment Guide was incorporated into the study material this year. The complementary circulars (1827, 1867, 1873, 1874, 1887, 1917-1919, 1934, 1936-1937, 1942, among others) contain regulatory updates that are the subject of examination.

Which sections are the most asked

According to the analysis of previous calls and the structure of the study material:

High frequency:RFAF (representation contracts, commissions, conflicts of interest, eligibility), RETJ (transfers, registration, minors, training rights, solidarity mechanism, contract termination), and the judicial bodies of the Statutes.

Average frequency:Disciplinary Code (discrimination, match-fixing, procedures), Code of Ethics (bribery, betting, manipulation), FIFA Guardians (safeguarding of minors).

Variable frequency:Circulars and Ethical Recruitment Guide. They may or may not appear, but when they appear they are the questions that separate those who passed from those who did not — because many candidates ignore them.

Do not underestimate the RETJ annexes.The annexes contain information thatdoes not appear anywhere elseof the study material: training fee calculation tables, club categories, TMS procedures, loan rules. Questions on these topics can only be answered if you have studied the annexes. Many candidates skip them — and that's exactly why they fail.

Types of questions

The exam questions are divided into three categories of increasing difficulty:

Comprehension questions:They evaluate whether you know the standard. Example: "What is the maximum duration of a representation contract?" They are the most direct, but require knowing the exact article.

Case Questions:They present a scenario with a player, an agent, a club, and ask you to identify which rule applies. Example: "Arnold is an agent and wants to provide services without a representation contract. Which statement is correct?" They require understanding how items interact.

Application questions:The most difficult. They combine multiple regulations and require calculation or reasoning. Example: a case involving a minor, an international transfer, training rights and an agent conflict of interest — all in one question. They require deep mastery.

Beware of “select one or more answers” questions.Some questions havemore than one correct answer. If you select only one when there are two, the question is marked as incorrect. And if you select one more answer, too. This is where most candidates lose points.

7 preparation strategies

How to prepare to pass

Start early and study systematically.Don't try to study everything in the last few weeks. Put together a study plan of at least 8-12 weeks, with regular sessions. Consistency beats cramming.
Read each document at least twice.The first reading is to understand the structure. The second is to delve deeper into the key articles. Pay special attention to the RETJ annexes, the RFAF FAQs, and the circulars.
Practice with mock exams.FIFA offers a mock exam on the Agent Platform. Make it timed. Learn how the questions are formulated, how the options are structured, and how long each one takes.
Master document navigation.With only 3 minutes per question, you cannot read entire articles during the exam. Practice finding specific sections quickly. Know the table of contents of each document by heart. Ctrl+F doesn't always work well when a word appears in dozens of clauses.
Don't depend on the open book.The open book is for checking specific details, not for searching for answers from scratch. If you do not have the concepts internalized before the exam, 60 minutes will not be enough.
Pay special attention to the calculations.Training rights, solidarity mechanism, commission limits — all require mathematical calculations. Practice with examples until the process is automatic.
Do the Pre-Exam Readiness Check without fail.In 2025, 44% of scheduled candidates did not complete this step and were left out. It is a technical drill that verifies that your equipment and connection work. Don't skip this.

Pre-Exam Readiness Check: the invisible filter

Before the exam, FIFA requires amandatory technical checkthrough an online mock exam. This Pre-Exam Readiness Check verifies: the compatibility of your computer with the FIFA platform, the operation of the webcam and microphone, the stability of your internet connection, and the correct installation of the app on your smartphone.

If you do not complete it by April 14, 2026,you cannot take the exam. It's that simple. And in 2025, almost half of the scheduled candidates did not do so.

What happens if you fail

If you do not approve, you receive an email with a link toreview your attemptwithin 3 days after the publication of results (until June 7, 2026). The review only proceeds if there isfundamental and obvious errorsin the application of FIFA regulations. General complaints about difficulty or disputes about scoring are not considered.

The results and communications from the FIFA General Secretariat arefinal and binding, without right of appeal.

There is no limit to the number of times you can take the exam. If you fail in 2026, you can try in 2027. But with a single annual exam, each failed attempt means one more year of waiting.

This guide is based on the RFAF (December 2024), the RFAF FAQ, the FIFA Football Agent Exam Study Material (January 2026 edition), official information from inside.fifa.com/transfer-system/agents, the Football Agents Report 2025, and analysis from SportsAgent Institute, The Ball Business, The Football Week, The Agent Exam, and Football Agent Masterclass. The dates and data correspond to the 2026 call. This guidance is informative and does not replace the advice of a specialized lawyer.

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FIFA 2026 Agent Exam: syllabus, format, difficulty and preparation strategies