By FIFA headquarters in Zurich (Credits: BBC Sport)
FIFA is about to open its vaults. President Gianni Infantino is set to propose a staggering $3.4 billion (£2.6 billion) increase in the money handed out for football development across the world, a move that would more than double the planned distribution funding for the 2027–2030 cycle.
World football’s governing body wants to release the extra cash from its reserves, and says it can afford to do so because of the commercial success of this summer’s World Cup. The proposal will be put to FIFA’s council on Thursday.
A political gamble after the FFE fallout
The timing is significant. FIFA is under pressure after Infantino’s controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan collapsed. The FIFA president wanted to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors, but the proposal was met with fierce criticism, with Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation all questioning his position. Confederation presidents accused Infantino of breaking trust “through deception”.
Last month, Uefa and Concacaf wrote to Infantino calling on FIFA to pay at least $10 million (£7.5 million) from its cash reserves to each of the 211 member associations. In a letter sent to FIFA’s six continental confederations, Infantino responded that he would support “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered”.
The big-spending pitch also arrives as Infantino prepares to stand for re-election for a fourth term in March 2027, making the council vote a key moment in his campaign for continued control of world football.
Where the money goes
The extra cash sits on top of the current $2.7 billion (£2.05 billion) budgeted for all 211 member associations, the confederations, regional associations and certain non-FIFA affiliated associations. In total, FIFA will now be spending $6.35 billion (£4.83 billion) on football development for the 2027–2030 cycle, with a heavy focus on investment in women’s and youth football.
The headline allocations include $99 million (£75 million) for each of the six confederations, $8.25 million (£6.3 million) for each of the 13 zonal and regional associations, and $1.1 million (£836,000) for 100 member associations to cover travel and equipment costs.
One third of the funding would be allocated to women’s and youth football development, while another third would go to infrastructure — with a requirement that women’s and youth football get equal access to those facilities.
The plan, including eligibility, application, approval, disbursement, control and audit requirements, will be finalised by the FIFA council at its next meeting in December 2026, and will ultimately be subject to approval by the 77th FIFA Congress in March 2027.
Also Read: Lisandro Martinez Launches Stunning Attack on Man Utd Board: ‘I Expect More’ | Andy Burnham Had Two Hospitality Dinners With Man City Chairman, Deleted Records Show
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
