The final whistle approaches: Neuchâtel's closing chapter"
They say time flies when you are having fun, and May and June flew by faster than ever for the 26th edition. As the Neuchâtel module raced towards its conclusion, the final weeks blurred into a joyful mix of lectures, lakeside afternoons, field visits, and the slowly dawning realisation that the FIFA Master journey is very nearly over.
Academically, sport law kept the cohort on its toes right to the very end. Theory met practice most vividly in two standout assessments: our in-class simulation at the Maladière, where the group put months of learning to the test in a hands-on exercise away from the lecture hall, and the moot court, a sport arbitration simulation held at FIBA. The module was brought to life by a rich line-up of guest speakers from FIFA, the IOC, ASOIF, the ITA and the CAS, alongside FIFA Master alumni who returned to share their own paths through the industry.
Switzerland's greatest gift to the FIFA Master has been its geography, and May and June made the most of it once more. Just a short trip away sat an impressive roll-call of governing bodies, and the class was welcomed through the doors of UEFA, the International Olympic Committee, the FIM, the UCI, and FIBA in turn. The federation tour even came with a competitive twist, with an archery initiation afternoon at the World Archery Training Centre, where Martin, Nathaniel and Luca delivered a memorable performance and climbed onto the podium. Each visit offered another behind the scenes look at how international sport is actually run, the perfect complement to a module built around governance and law.
Of course, no FIFA Master month would be complete without a birthday or two. Continuing the now sacred tradition, the cohort celebrated Rita, pairing the festivities with a barbecue and a competitive round of beach volleyball. A few weeks later, Tamu's birthday was marked in the most Neuchâtel way imaginable: down by the lake, under the spring sun, with the whole class gathered around.
Beyond the classroom, life in Neuchâtel settled into a rhythm that will be hard to leave behind. The barbecue culture reached full bloom and even earned a distinguished host when CIES President Pierre Cornu welcomed the class around his grill (and his wine collection). Apéro season kicked into high gear too, from a warm alumni apéro in Lausanne to a gathering at Marcelo's, while an alumni barbecue in Neuchâtel (held after a hard-fought 4–3 football win for the 26th edition) reminded everyone just how wide the FIFA Master family really stretches. The lake, meanwhile, became the class's second campus, while evenings often ended with everyone huddled together for football, culminating in a Champions League final watch party at the end of May.
There was, however, one moment that felt almost too fitting for a class of future sport leaders. On 11 June, the cohort travelled to Bern to watch the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mexico against South Africa, as the tournament they had spent a year studying finally kicked off. Eliú and Ashley got to support their home nation surrounded by Bern's Mexican community, while the celebrations doubled as a birthday party for Kevin. Since then, gathering to watch the matches together has become the class's defining summer ritual and a genuine moment of shared joy, even when it means cheering against one another: of the 48 nations in the competition, no fewer than 13 are represented within the cohort itself. The World Cup fever spilled well beyond match days, too, with the class trading stickers to complete their Panini albums and marvelling at Nathaniel's World Cup Lego set.
And then, just like that, the classroom chapter drew to a close. With the final exams behind them, the cohort began to scatter, some chasing summer across Europe, others following the World Cup itself across the United States, with Ashley, Rita, Nathaniel, Alwin and Bianca taking in matches everywhere from Boston to New York to Miami, while many chose to linger a little longer by the lake, reluctant to let Neuchâtel go just yet. But the story is not quite over: all eyes now turn to the final group project and its presentation in July, the last milestone of the journey and the FIFA Master 26th edition's final word. After nearly a year of shared lecture halls, stadium nights, barbecues and farewells, the class heads into that closing chapter the way it lived every month before it: together, and in no hurry for the story to end.
By Léonie Doléac - FIFA Master 26th edition student
FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked Europe's No.1 course a record 13 times by SportBusiness.
Organised by CIES in cooperation with De Montfort University (UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).
"CIES, 30 years of impacting how sport is managed worldwide" & "FIFA Master, 25 years of Excellence in Sport Business Education"
