If you’re serious about becoming a FIFA football agent, the exam is the first real test of that commitment. Not just academically, but in terms of preparation, discipline, and understanding of the football industry you want to operate in. So how hard is the FIFA agent exam, really? Here’s an honest, number-backed breakdown of everything you need to know.
What the FIFA Agent Exam Actually Involves
The FIFA agent exam consists of 20 multiple-choice questions. To pass, you need to answer at least 15 correctly — that’s a 75% pass mark. The questions draw from a specific set of regulations, including the FIFA Football Agent Regulations (FFAR), the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP), compensation mechanisms, and key legal principles around player representation and transfers.
It isn’t a general football knowledge test. You won’t be asked about formations or transfer rumours. The FIFA agent exam tests your understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that governs how agents operate and that framework is detailed, technical, and worth studying seriously.
What the Pass Rate Tells You About the Difficulty
This is where the numbers get revealing. Across both exam windows in 2024, FIFA received 19,827 applications. Of those, only 10,887 candidates actually sat the exam. The pass rate among those who did sit it? 40.4%.
That means more than half of the people who showed up to take the FIFA agent exam walked away without a licence. When you factor in the candidates who applied but never made it to exam day, the overall success rate drops even further. For a full breakdown of the 2024 data, you can read our detailed overview of the 2024 FIFA agent exam results.
The exam isn’t designed to be impossible but it is designed to be meaningful. FIFA’s push for a professionalised agent landscape means the bar is set deliberately high.
Who Is Currently Licensed and What It Reveals
As of December 2024, just 7,558 individuals held valid FIFA agent licences globally. The average age of a licensed agent was 42, which suggests that most people entering this space bring years of prior experience in football, law, or business before they attempt the exam.
That context matters if you’re approaching the FIFA agent licence as a starting point with no industry background. It’s possible, but understanding who your competition is helps you prepare more realistically.
FIFA Agent Licence Requirements You Need to Meet Before the Exam
Passing the exam is only part of the picture. Before you even sit the FIFA agent exam, you need to meet the FIFA agent requirements for eligibility. Candidates have been rejected or disqualified for reasons including conflicts of interest such as working for a club or a FIFA body prior unlicensed activity, criminal convictions, missing application deadlines, and misconduct during the exam itself.
In 2024, FIFA launched 1,606 investigations into eligibility concerns, with around 17% resulting in rejections. Several countries, including England, had candidates blocked from sitting the exam entirely due to past violations. The message is clear, FIFA is enforcing its standards seriously, and eligibility is not a formality.
Passing Is the Beginning, Not the End
One thing aspiring agents consistently underestimate is what happens after you pass. Holding a FIFA football agent licence comes with ongoing obligations. From October 2024, FIFA monitored compliance closely, and the results were stark. A total of 2,616 agents had their licences provisionally suspended. Of those, 1,777 had failed to pay renewal fees and 1,387 had not completed their mandatory continuous professional development (CPD).
Only 1,825 agents resolved their issues in time. A further 406 licences were permanently withdrawn. Agents who don’t address suspensions within 60 days must reapply from scratch. Becoming a FIFA agent is a long-term professional commitment, not a one-time achievement.
How to Become a FIFA Agent: What Preparation Actually Looks Like
Given the pass rate, preparation is where most candidates win or lose the exam. Here’s what a realistic study approach looks like:You need to read and understand the FIFA Football Agent Regulations and the RSTP in full, not skim them. The exam questions are precise, and surface-level familiarity won’t get you to 15 correct answers.
Understanding how compensation mechanisms work, how transfer regulations apply across different scenarios, and where agent conduct is governed by specific rules will give you the depth the exam demands.
Beyond reading the regulations, practising with mock questions is essential. Knowing the material is different from answering questions accurately under exam conditions. Timed practice builds both recall and the confidence to work efficiently through 20 questions.
Our book, 400 Most Common FIFA Agent Exam Questions, is built specifically for this, giving you the most tested concepts in the format you’ll face on exam day.
Is the FIFA Agent Exam Hard? The Realistic Answer
Yes, but not impossibly so. A 40.4% pass rate tells you that candidates who show up underprepared will fail. It also tells you that candidates who study seriously, understand the regulations in depth, and treat the exam with the respect it deserves give themselves a genuine chance of joining the 7,558 agents currently licensed globally.
The FIFA agent exam is a gateway, not a barrier. What separates those who pass from those who don’t is almost always preparation. So start early, study the right material, and approach the process with the professionalism that the licence itself demands.
If you’re serious about passing, preparation is everything, and where you prepare matters. Our FIFA Agent Exam Preparatory Course is built by people who understand both the exam and the industry behind it. You get full coverage of the FFAR and RSTP, targeted mock questions, exam technique guidance, and the practical knowledge that doesn’t just get you licensed, it gets you ready to operate.
If the next application window is your window, this is where your preparation starts.
Preparing for the FIFA agent exam doesn’t have to be a solo process. You can join our aspiring agents community where you get structured support, can ask questions on areas you find confusing, and connect with peers going through the same journey
We wish you continued success!
