FIFA proposes $3.4bn boost for global football development

FIFA plans to more than double development funding for 2027-30

FIFA is set to propose an additional $3.4bn (£2.6bn) for football development around the world, using money from its reserves after the commercial success of this summer’s World Cup.

The proposal, due to be put before the FIFA Council, would lift planned distributions for the 2027-30 cycle from $2.7bn (£2.05bn) to $6.35bn (£4.83bn). The funds would go to FIFA’s 211 member associations, six confederations, regional bodies and some non-FIFA-affiliated associations.

Proposed allocations

Under the plan, each member association would receive $25m (£19m), while each of the six confederations would receive $99m (£75m). The 13 zonal and regional associations would each be allocated $8.25m (£6.3m). A further $1.1m (£836,000) would be available to each of 100 member associations for travel and equipment support.

FIFA says the funding would be divided into three equal parts: women’s and youth football development; infrastructure, with equal access for women’s and youth football; and individual projects.

Proposal follows dispute over FIFA reserves

The move comes after FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s Fifa Forward Enterprise plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors drew criticism. UEFA and Concacaf had called for FIFA to distribute at least $10m (£7.5m) from its reserves to each member association.

Infantino, who is seeking a fourth term in March 2027, said in a letter to the six continental confederations that he would support “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered”.

The FIFA Council is expected to finalise the plan’s eligibility, application, approval, payment, oversight and audit rules at its meeting in December 2026. The proposal would then require approval at the 77th FIFA Congress in March 2027.