FIFA leadership with corruption, bribery, and vote-rigging related to the election of FIFA president Sepp Blatter and the organization's decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively. These allegations led to the indictments of nine high-ranking FIFA officials and five corporate executives by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges including racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering. On 27 May 2015, several of these officials were arrested by Swiss authorities, who were launching a simultaneous but separate criminal investigation into how the organization awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Those among these officials who
FIFA Club World Cup attempted to win their first FIFA Club World Cup (a feat never done by any club outside of Europe and South America), but were denied by Real Madrid, who won 4-2 in extra time, thanks to a hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo. The victory saw Real Madrid win their second FIFA Club World Cup, and their fifth International title (counting the three Intercontinental Cups Real Madrid had won prior to 2014). As early as late 2016, FIFA President Gianni Infantino suggested an initial expansion of the Club World Cup to 32 teams beginning in 2019 and the reschedule to June to