The unveiling of the Most Attractive Employers in Sport 2026 shortlists continues, and today we turn our attention to one of the industry’s most prestigious categories: Sports Governing Bodies.
These organisations sit at the heart of global sport. They establish rules and regulations, organise major competitions, support the development of their respective disciplines and use sport to generate positive social impact around the world. It is therefore no surprise that many professionals aspire to build their careers within these influential institutions.
Based on the votes received in iWorkinSport’s global survey, the following organisations have been named among the 20 most attractive sports governing body employers in 2026.
In alphabetical order, the Top 20 are:
- CONCACAF (Football, North America, Central America and the Caribbean)
- CONI (Olympics, ITA)
- DFB (Football, GER)
- FEI (Equestrian)
- FFF (Football, FRA)
- FIA (Motorsport)
- FIBA (Basketball)
- FIFA (Football)
- FIGC (Football, ITA)
- FIS (Ski and Snowboard)
- FIVB (Volleyball)
- IIHF (Ice Hockey)
- IOC (International Olympic Committee)
- IPC (International Paralympic Committee)
- ITF / World Tennis
- The FA (Football, ENG)
- UCI (Cycling)
- UEFA (Football, Europe)
- World Athletics
- World Rugby
This year’s shortlist reflects both the international reach of sports governance and the diversity of disciplines represented. Thirteen of the selected organisations operate globally, five are national bodies and two—CONCACAF and UEFA—are continental confederations.
Football once again has the strongest presence, accounting for seven of the 20 organisations. Basketball, cycling, equestrian sport, ice hockey, motorsport, skiing and snowboarding, tennis, rugby, volleyball and athletics are also represented, alongside organisations overseeing the Olympic and Paralympic movements.
Sixteen organisations retain their places from the 2025 shortlist, demonstrating considerable consistency among the governing bodies that sport professionals most aspire to work for.
Four organisations join or return to the Top 20 in 2026: CONCACAF, the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
They replace the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
The shortlist comes from the Most Attractive Employers in Sport survey, a global study conducted by iWorkinSport. Sport professionals and students were invited to identify the organisations where they would most like to work, selecting their preferred employers across different sectors of the sports industry.
The positions shown above are alphabetical and do not represent the final ranking. The complete results—including the order of the Top 20 sports governing bodies—will be unveiled at the Most Attractive Employers in Sport Awards ceremony on 16 October 2026.
Stay tuned as we reveal more shortlists from this year’s survey over the coming weeks.
About the Most Attractive Employers in Sport
The 2026 survey gathered responses from 1,051 participants representing 58 nationalities, reflecting the global nature of the sports industry.
The Most Attractive Employers in Sport survey examines employer branding across the industry. Rather than measuring employee satisfaction, it reflects how attractive organisations are perceived to be by professionals and students who work—or aspire to work—in sport.
About iWorkinSport
iWorkinSport is the Global Hub for all things career, recruitment and education in sport.
The company connects and provides solutions and opportunities to stakeholders throughout the sports career ecosystem, including candidates, employers, employees, students, academic programmes, HR professionals, recruitment agencies, consultants and career coaches. It also produces, aggregates and curates knowledge and content relevant to careers in sport.
For further information, contact info@iworkinsport.com.