noticias
FIFA opens new corporate office in Coral Gables
Sep 10, 2024
The organization that governs international professional football has opened its first corporate office in the Western Hemisphere in Coral Gables.
As reported by Bloomberg, the International Football Association Federation, or FIFA, based in Zurich, opened a 1,400-square-meter office at 396 Alhambra Circle in Coral Gables. It is in the same building where FIFA opened a temporary office of 5,600 square meters in anticipation of Miami being one of the venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The permanent office houses FIFA's legal and compliance division, which recently moved from the organization's headquarters in Zurich.
The move of the division to Coral Gables is part of FIFA's new philosophy of being truly global, as explained by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The 396 Alhambra Circle complex in Coral Gables
"To be global, one must be local, and in that sense FIFA needs to be present all over the world, and by being here in Miami, this is another example of that," Infantino stated. "FIFA is proud to be in Miami, and we hope that through the contribution of the legal and compliance team, we can make a positive impact on the development of football."
The Coral Gables office is FIFA's third corporate office, after Zurich and Paris. Approximately 350 employees now work at FIFA's two offices in Coral Gables. About 100 will remain in the permanent office after the 2026 World Cup.
Andrés Del Corral, Danet Linares, and Tere Blanca from Blanca Commercial Real Estate represented the building owner, Agave Holdings, in the lease negotiations.
A subsidiary of Agave Holdings, 396 Alhambra LLC, paid $21.5 million for the office property in September 2005. The commercial complex consists of 25,400 square meters of office space in two towers, about 2,800 square meters of retail space on the ground floor, and a parking lot with 884 spaces, according to Loopnet.com, an office listing website.
The 396 Alhambra Circle complex is approximately one kilometer from The Plaza Coral Gables, a mixed-use project owned by Agave that features 43,200 square meters of offices and whose tenants include companies like Apple, Bacardi USA, Bradesco Bank, and the technology company ACI Worldwide.
The office market in South Florida has thrived since the Covid-19 pandemic, as both local companies and those from other states have sought quality office spaces that attract employees and customers.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to draw more than 600,000 football fans to South Florida. Its economic impact on the Miami metropolitan area and each of the other 15 venues in North America could range from $90 million to $480 million, according to a study by the Boston Consulting Group.
Miami-Dade County will contribute $35.5 million in funding and public services for the event, which will include seven matches at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.