FIFA to offer extra £2.6bn for football development

FIFA is set to propose a $3.4bn (£2.6bn) increase in the amount of money it hands out for football development across the world.

World football’s governing body wants to release the money from its reserves in a move which would more than double the level of planned distribution funding for 2027-2030.

It says it has been able to release the extra cash because of the commercial success of this summer’s World Cup.

The proposal was made at a meeting of FIFA’s council yesterday and comes at a time when the organisation is under pressure following president Gianni Infantino’s aborted FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan.

Infantino wanted to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors but faced huge criticism for the proposal, with UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation questioning his position.

UEFA and CONCACAF wrote to Infantino in September calling on FIFA to pay at least $10m (£7.5m) from its cash reserves to each of the 211 member associations.

In a letter then sent to FIFA’s six continental confederations, Infantino who will be standing for re-election for a fourth time in March 2027 – said he would support “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered”.

FIFA will now offer extra money from its reserves in addition to the current $2.7bn (£2.05bn) budgeted to be paid to all 211 member associations, the confederations, regional associations and certain non-FIFA affiliated associations.

In total, FIFA will now be spending $6.35bn (£4.83bn) on football development for the 2027-2030 cycle, with a focus on investment and development of women’s and youth football.

The breakdown is as follows:

• $25m (£19m) per member association

• $99m (£75m) for each of the six confederations

• $8.25m (£6.3m) for each of the 13 zonal/regional associations

• $1.1m (£836,000) for 100 member associations for travel and equipment solidarity

The terms of the distribution would be as follows:

• One third would be allocated to women’s and youth football development

• One third would be allocated to infrastructure (of which there shall be equal access to women’s and youth football)

• One third would be allocated to projects

The plan, including the eligibility, application, approval, disbursement, control and audit requirements, will be finalised by the FIFA council at its next meeting in December 2026.

It will all be subject to approval by the 77th FIFA congress in March 2027

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Gianni Infantino