FIFA is set to propose an extra $3.4bn (£2.6bn) for football development worldwide, more than doubling the funding planned for the 2027-2030 cycle.
The money would come from FIFA’s reserves, with the organisation saying the commercial success of this summer’s World Cup has enabled it to release the additional funds.
The proposal will be put to the FIFA Council on Thursday, amid continuing pressure on president Gianni Infantino after his abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan.
Infantino had proposed selling stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. The idea was heavily criticised, while UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation questioned his position.
In September, UEFA and CONCACAF wrote to Infantino asking FIFA to distribute at least $10m (£7.5m) from its reserves to each of its 211 member associations.
In a subsequent letter to FIFA’s six continental confederations, Infantino – who is expected to seek a fourth term as president in March 2027 – said he would support “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered”.
The new proposal would come on top of the existing $2.7bn (£2.05bn) budget for distribution between the 211 member associations, the confederations, regional associations and certain non-FIFA-affiliated associations.
FIFA would therefore spend $6.35bn (£4.83bn) on football development during the 2027-2030 cycle, with women’s and youth football among the areas targeted for investment.
Under the proposed allocation:
– Each member association would receive $25m (£19m)
– Each of the six confederations would receive $99m (£75m)
– Each of the 13 zonal or regional associations would receive $8.25m (£6.3m)
– 100 member associations would receive $1.1m (£836,000) each for travel and equipment solidarity
The distribution would be divided into three equal parts. One third would support women’s and youth football development, one third would go towards infrastructure – with equal access for women’s and youth football – and one third would fund projects.
The FIFA Council is expected to finalise the scheme at its next meeting in December 2026, including the rules on eligibility, applications, approval, payment, control and auditing.
The plan would then require approval at the 77th FIFA Congress in March 2027.
Proposed disciplinary change after Folarin Balogun case
FIFA’s Council will also consider a proposed amendment to its disciplinary code aimed at preventing a repeat of the Folarin Balogun case.
BBC Sport understands the proposal follows an unprecedented situation in which the US striker did not miss a game after being sent off at the World Cup.
If approved, the regulations would explicitly state that an automatic one-match suspension for a red card could not be suspended.
Questions have been raised over the process that resulted in Balogun’s suspension being lifted. US President Donald Trump said he had called Infantino to have the ban rescinded, prompting concerns about possible political interference.
The proposed amendment would add a list of circumstances to Article 27 of the regulations in which a suspension could not be suspended, including an automatic one-match ban for a red card.
