Imagine spending months preparing for a career-defining test, only to be blocked by technical issues beyond your control.
That’s exactly what happened to dozens of football agents who tried to take FIFA’s licensing exam—only to be met with yet another round of chaos.
What was meant to be a step toward bringing more order to the football agency world has turned into a frustrating saga of glitches, silence, and missed opportunities.
FIFA’s Attempt to Clean Up the Agent Industry
Back in 2023, FIFA introduced a new licensing exam for agents.
The goal was clear: regulate an industry that had started to feel a bit too much like the Wild West.
The hour-long test, made up of 20 multiple-choice questions, was supposed to raise the bar and ensure only qualified agents were handling player transfers.
Unfortunately, the rollout has been anything but smooth.
Previous test days at major venues like Wembley Stadium and Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre were marred by disorganized scenes and widespread technical failures.
From Test Centers to Home Screens—But Still No Luck
To avoid the chaos experienced at physical venues, FIFA decided to move the exam online.
This way, agents could take the test from home, reducing the chances of Wi-Fi failures and on-site crashes—or so everyone hoped.
To participate, agents were required to download FIFA-approved software, keep their cameras on for supervision, and share their screens with invigilators to prevent cheating.
On paper, the system seemed secure and straightforward.
When the Software Fails You
But when test day came, the problems reappeared—this time in a digital format.
According to insiders, a significant number of candidates simply couldn’t share their screens with the invigilators, meaning they couldn’t even access the test.
This wasn’t a matter of user error.
These agents had followed all the instructions, installed the right platforms, and were ready to go.
Still, the system didn’t let them through.
Even worse, when they tried to report the problem, many received no helpful response.
Some were told their applications had failed—despite the fact that the software never let them sit for the exam in the first place.
Silence from FIFA and Growing Frustration
Agents who spoke to the media described the ordeal as “a nightmare.”
One unnamed source put it bluntly: “You do everything they ask, but the tech doesn’t work—and then no one gets back to you.”
The cost of taking the exam? £75.
The cost of missing the chance to work as a licensed agent?
Potentially a whole year of income.
With no official timeline for a resit and no clarity from FIFA, affected agents are now left in limbo.
What Happens Now?
There’s growing concern about what the future holds for those who were unfairly locked out.
With a year-long gap between exam dates, many fear being frozen out of the industry entirely until 2026.
“I actually think the tests are a good thing,” the anonymous source admitted.
“But if you’re going to roll something like this out, you have to get it right. And if it breaks, you need to support the people affected.”
Right now, FIFA’s silence is speaking volumes—and for agents left hanging, the clock is ticking on their careers.