FIFA/CIES Sports Management Diploma:
Say the awkward part first. This is not a scholarship. It is a paid diploma, and at the India edition an international student pays USD 3,500.
So why cover it on a scholarship site? Because of one rule almost nobody publishes.
CIES awards a FIFA Master scholarship worth CHF 45,000, covering registration fees and all or part of living costs. And its eligibility line reads: applicants must be alumni of the FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management.
That makes this diploma a gate rather than a destination. You cannot go straight to the FIFA Master scholarship. You take the shorter, cheaper course first, in a partner country, and only then does the CHF 45,000 become reachable.
The two-step route
Step one. The FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management, a part-time executive diploma run at a network of partner universities. Awarded jointly by FIFA, CIES and the host institution.
Step two. The FIFA Master, with the CIES scholarship open to step one’s alumni. CIES announces its decision before the end of March preceding the programme’s start, and its page listed 25 FIFA Master beneficiaries between 2012 and 2020, so the numbers are small and the competition is real.
Read those two together and the planning changes. A reader who wants the FIFA Master in three years should be looking at the diploma now, not at the Master’s own admissions page.
There is no single deadline
This matters more than it sounds, and it is the same trap as several German scholarships we cover.
Each host university runs its own edition, with its own dates, its own fee and its own application. The India edition’s 2026 cycle closed on 20 September 2026. Other hosts run on entirely different calendars.
So the question is never “when is the FIFA/CIES deadline”. It is “which host am I applying to, and what is theirs”.
What the course actually is
From the India edition’s own pages, which is the nearest host to Pakistan we could read in full:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Part-time executive diploma, taught in classrooms |
| Schedule | Block weeks, roughly eight hours a day, two modules plus project work and guest lectures |
| Attendance | Required at all classes |
| Language | English, with a good command expected |
| Fee, international | USD 3,500 for the 2025-26 edition |
| Deposit | USD 1,500 non-refundable, due a week after the offer letter |
| Instalments | The fee may be paid in two |
| Covered | Manuals, handouts, guest speaker sessions, official excursions, convocation, refreshments |
| Award | A joint FIFA, CIES and host university International Diploma in Sports Management |
Two details are worth planning around. Attendance at every class is required, and the block-week format means eight-hour days rather than evening sessions. For a working professional this is leave from a job, not a weekend course.
Who can apply
A bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
A strong interest in sport and a good command of English.
And the line that opens the door wider than people assume: no professional sports experience is required, though it counts as an advantage.
The host describes its audience as mid-level and senior sports professionals, young graduates passionate about sport, and professionals from other fields who want to move into the sports industry. That last group is larger than the first two and rarely realizes it qualifies.
How you apply
An online application form, with a small form fee.
A Statement of Purpose, uploaded after payment.
A compulsory admission interview for shortlisted candidates. There is no entrance exam.
That shape rewards preparation of a specific kind. With no exam, the Statement of Purpose and the interview carry the whole decision, and our personal statement guide covers building an argument rather than a list of enthusiasms. Write about a sports organization you know and a problem it has.
How this sits in the field
Sport funding in Pakistan runs mostly through federations, and almost none of it is applied for by the person who receives it. Our Olympic Solidarity athlete scholarships guide shows that pattern at its sharpest: six places for the whole country, chosen by the Pakistan Olympic Association.
This programme is the opposite. Nobody nominates you. You apply, you pay, and you earn a credential that opens a scholarship the general public cannot reach. For a reader with no federation standing, that independence is the point.
If the fee puts it out of reach this year, our comparison of the main funded routes covers degree scholarships that cost nothing, several of which accept sports management and business subjects.
FAQ
Is this a scholarship?
No. It is a paid diploma. The India edition charges international students USD 3,500.
Why does it appear on a scholarship site?
Because the CHF 45,000 FIFA Master scholarship is open only to this programme’s alumni.
What is the FIFA Master scholarship worth?
CHF 45,000, covering registration fees and all or part of living expenses.
When is the scholarship decided?
Before the end of March preceding the programme’s start.
How many people have received it?
CIES’s page listed 25 FIFA Master beneficiaries between 2012 and 2020.
Where is the diploma taught?
At a network of partner universities in several countries. Check CIES’s network page for the current list.
When is the deadline?
Each host sets its own. The India edition’s 2026 deadline was 20 September.
What qualification do I need?
A bachelor’s degree, a strong interest in sport and good English.
Do I need sports industry experience?
No, though it helps.
What is the format?
A part-time executive diploma in block weeks, about eight hours a day, with attendance required.
Is there an entrance exam?
No. A Statement of Purpose and an interview decide it.
What do I receive?
A diploma awarded jointly by FIFA, CIES and the host university.