FIFA plans to invest $6.35 billion in football development

FIFA is ready to spend $6.35 billion on football development from 2027 to 2030. This follows a proposal to increase funding by $3.4 billion to member associations and other football bodies.

BBC Sport reported this on Wednesday. The football governing body aims to release the extra funds from its reserves. This move would more than double the amount initially set for distribution over the four-year period.

FIFA explained that the proposed increase comes from the commercial success of this summer’s World Cup.

The FIFA Council will consider this proposal at a meeting on Thursday. This comes as president Gianni Infantino faces criticism for his FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan. That plan aimed to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors.

The proposal faced pushback from various football groups, including UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation.

In September, UEFA and Concacaf sent a letter to Infantino. They urged FIFA to share at least $10 million from its cash reserves with each of its 211 member associations.

Infantino later wrote to the six continental confederations. He said he would support “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered.”

With the new proposal, FIFA plans to increase its current $2.7 billion development funding budget to $6.35 billion for the 2027 to 2030 cycle.

This funding will help football development across member associations, continental confederations, regional associations, and selected organisations not linked to FIFA.

Under the proposed distribution plan, each member association would get $25 million. Each of the six continental confederations would receive $99 million.

The 13 zonal and regional associations would get $8.25 million each. One hundred member associations would also receive an extra $1.1 million each for travel and equipment support.

FIFA also aims to allocate a significant part of the funds for infrastructure, women’s football, youth development and other projects.

According to the proposal, one-third of the funds would focus on women’s and youth football development. Another third would be for infrastructure, ensuring equal access for women’s and youth football. The last third would go to various projects.

The FIFA Council is expected to finalize eligibility criteria, application procedures, approval processes, disbursement arrangements, and audit requirements at its next meeting in December 2026.

After that, the proposal will need approval at the 77th FIFA Congress, which is set for March 2027.

Infantino, who plans to seek a fourth term as FIFA president in March 2027, has been urged by football administrators to provide more financial support to member associations.

The proposed increase would offer more resources for football development globally. This is especially crucial in countries where funding issues have limited investment in facilities, grassroots programs, and youth competitions.

But the final distribution framework and how it will be implemented still need approval from FIFA’s governing bodies.