Fifa to propose extra $3.4bn (£2.6bn) from reserves for development
Fifa will propose at its council meeting on Thursday that $3.4bn (£2.6bn) be released from its reserves to increase funding for football development across the world for the 2027-2030 cycle. The governing body says the move would more than double the level of planned distribution funding for that cycle.
Fifa says the commercial success of this summer's World Cup has enabled the extra release from reserves. The proposal comes as the organisation faces scrutiny following president Gianni Infantino's aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which sought to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions and drew criticism from Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation. 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.
Infantino, who will be standing for re-election for a fourth time in March 2027, wrote to Fifa's six continental confederations saying he would support "the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered". The extra cash would be provided from Fifa's reserves on top of the current $2.7bn (£2.05bn) already budgeted for member associations, confederations, regional associations and certain non-Fifa affiliated associations.
With the additional release, Fifa says total spending on football development for the 2027-2030 cycle will be $6.35bn (£4.83bn), with a stated focus on investment and development of women's and youth football. The organisation has set out a specific financial breakdown for how the extra funding would be distributed.
The distribution breakdown proposed is: $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; and $1.1m (£836,000) for 100 member associations for travel and equipment solidarity.
Fifa proposes that one third of the funds would be allocated to women's and youth football development, one third to infrastructure ("of which there shall be equal access to women's and youth football") and one third to projects. The council will finalise the detailed terms, including eligibility, application, approval, disbursement, control and audit requirements, at its next meeting.
BBC Sport understands there is a separate proposal on the table at the council to change the disciplinary code in response to the Balogun case, in which the US striker did not miss a game after being sent off in the World Cup. If approved, the regulations would expressly note that an automatic one-match ban for a red card cannot be suspended; questions have been raised over the process that led to Balogun having his ban suspended and US President Donald Trump said he called Infantino to get the ban rescinded, which raised serious concerns over political interference. A proposal has been put forward to add to Article 27 a list of instances whereby a ban cannot be suspended, including an automatic one-game ban for a red card.
The distribution plan's terms will be finalised by the Fifa council at its next meeting in December 2026 and the package will be subject to approval by the 77th Fifa congress in March 2027.
