Infantino signals willingness to back extra payouts to national associations
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has told confederation leaders in a letter sent on Monday that he is prepared to back increased payouts to national associations, while stopping short of committing to the $10m-per-member figure proposed by Uefa and Concacaf. The exchanges come amid calls to distribute more of Fifa’s $6bn cash reserves to its member associations.
Uefa and Concacaf presidents Aleksander Ceferin and Victor Montagliani wrote a joint letter earlier this month requesting an additional payout for all of Fifa’s 211 members of at least $10m during the 2027-2030 commercial cycle. That demand was later endorsed in a separate letter from Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa. Those appeals prompted Infantino’s written response to the confederation presidents.
Infantino’s letter was sent to all six confederation presidents and copied to members of the Fifa council. In it he indicated his willingness to support increased funding for member associations while declining to pre-commit to the $10m-per-member proposal. He said any increase must be delivered in a manner consistent with Fifa’s governance arrangements.
“I will not prejudge the amount,” Infantino wrote in the letter. “I will support the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered through Fifa’s proper governance process, applied fairly and supported by transparent and auditable arrangements. The ambition is welcome. The financial evidence, governance and implementation must now support it. A single figure can begin the discussion, but it cannot complete a global policy.”
Under the proposed terms of Infantino’s abandoned FFE scheme, the member associations would have received an additional $20m during the next four-year cycle, plus a further payment of $20m had they signed up before a 53-day deadline that would have expired last week. Infantino used the letter to defend his role in the FFE process, writing: “The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable Fifa to invest more in football – not to replace support that could responsibly be provided from existing resources.” He added: “I welcome the constructive intent reflected in each of your letters. We may differ on the best route forward, but I have no doubt that each of us wants what is best for Fifa, its member associations and football.”
He has instructed the Secretary General, Mattias Grafström, to consolidate all submissions into one integrated assessment. That integrated assessment will be considered by the Fifa council at its meeting on 15 October 2026.