Miguel Paiva Earns His FIFA Football Agent Licence
After more than 20 years in football, Portuguese-South African intermediary Miguel Paiva has officially earned his FIFA Football Agent Licence following a challenging two-year journey.
Paiva, who built his career in Cape Town representing players across South Africa's professional leagues, first sat the FIFA Football Agent Exam in 2025. However, technical issues during FIFA's first fully online examination left thousands of candidates affected worldwide, resulting in a pass rate of just 11%.
Miguel Paiva with Dimas Teixeira, former Portugal international and ex-Juventus, Sporting and Benfica player.
Despite completing the exam, Paiva was informed that several answers had not been recorded due to system problems and was forced to wait an entire year before being allowed to re-sit the test.
Miguel Paiva with Vincent Mannaert, Sports Director of the Belgian Football Association
Rather than giving up, he returned to his studies, spending another year preparing and reviewing FIFA regulations before taking the exam again in 2026. This time, he passed.
Miguel Paiva with Marc Keller, President of Racing Strasbourg, one of many connections built across European football.
With Portuguese roots in Madeira and now based in London, Paiva is focused on expanding his work across European and international football markets. His experience in African football, combined with his growing European network, places him in a strong position to build new opportunities for players and clubs.
Miguel Paiva with Kaizer Motaung, Founder and Chairman of Kaizer Chiefs, one of Africa's most iconic football clubs.
Reflecting on the achievement, Paiva said:
"Two years of work nearly came undone because of a screen that wouldn't save my answers. But I kept going. I've got the licence now and I'm ready for the next chapter."
Miguel Paiva with Pini Zahavi, a football super-agent.
For Paiva, the FIFA licence is more than a qualification, it's recognition of a career already spent connecting football talent across continents, and the start of an exciting new phase with global ambitions.
Miguel Paiva with legendary South African footballer, Benni McCarthy.
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