FIFA to Give $20 Million Each to Member Associations for Football Development

FIFA has put forward a new funding package. This could give each of its 211 member associations, including the Nigeria Football Federation, up to $20 million. This is part of FIFA's plan to boost investment in football development across the globe.

The proposal was shared by FIFA on Tuesday. It includes an optional one-time funding of $20 million through the FIFA Fast Forward Programme (FFFP) for special projects. There will also be increased regular funding through the FIFA Forward programme.

With this plan, member associations would get $20 million each for the 2027-2030 cycle. This is a jump from the current allocation of $8 million.

The funding will rise to $22 million per association for 2031-2034 and $24 million for 2035-2038.

But FIFA will keep full control of FFE and will have exclusive authority over football governance, competitions, match schedules, and all regulatory and sporting decisions.

FIFA will also sell a minority stake in its commercial operations to private investors. Many have criticized this part of the plan, especially UEFA.

Despite this, FIFA insists that the extra funding will help with football infrastructure, coaching, national teams, competitions, grassroots football, and women's football development.

The statement said, "If approved, football development in every corner of the world would benefit immediately from increased funding available to all 211 FIFA Member Associations (MAs): (i) An optional USD 20 million per MA in exceptional and immediate funding for special projects from the new FIFA Fast Forward Programme (FFFP), (ii) USD 20 million per MA in Forward funding for 2027-2030 (currently budgeted USD 8 million), (iii) USD 22 million per MA in Forward funding for 2031-2034, and (iv) USD 24 million per MA in Forward funding for 2035-2038."

The statement continued, "This would be achieved via FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a new FIFA-owned and controlled subsidiary consolidating FIFA’s commercial and event operations; FIFA would retain sole control of FFE and exclusive authority over football governance, competitions, match calendar, and all regulatory and sporting decisions."

"FFE would raise up to USD 4.2 billion later this year to fund FFFP, based on an initial equity valuation of USD 20 billion by carefully selecting long-term investors who will purchase minority, non-controlling interests in FFE."

FIFA said all net benefits from FFE would go back into football development around the world. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the goal is to make sure that the growth in football helps all member associations.

"Football is the world’s most popular sport and an extraordinary engine of human and social development," Infantino said.

He added, "Parts of the game have turned that popularity into remarkable commercial value, and we celebrate that success and want it to continue because it lifts the whole game. Our job is to make sure the rest of football grows with it: FIFA exists to support sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world."

Infantino also mentioned that every member association should have the chance to access funding and choose its own development path.

"Every FIFA Member Association should have an opportunity to seek a fair share of the available funding to shape its own future, deciding for itself rather than relying on others. This is about the democratisation of football worldwide," he said.

FIFA added that the proposal needs approval from most of its member associations and the FIFA Council. This is in line with its governance processes.

The organization said this planned investment might push its total funding commitment for development to over $10 billion in the next four years. This would make it the largest commitment by a sports organization.

FIFA mentioned that these changes follow the success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where increased development support helped countries like Cabo Verde and Curaçao qualify for the tournament for the first time.

FIFA stated that the FIFA Fast Forward Programme would let member associations access extra funds for projects like stadiums, national training centers, and other long-term football infrastructure.