FIFA President Gianni Infantino has proposed a major increase in funding for the organisation’s 211 member associations, with each set to receive $25 million during the 2027–2030 cycle.
The proposed FIFA Surplus Solidarity Programme would use part of FIFA’s financial reserves, generated from its revenues, to more than double planned investment over the four-year period to $6.35 billion.
Infantino presented the proposal at a FIFA Council meeting and said it represented a significant rise in support since he became president in 2016.
“In ten years since I was FIFA President, we have gone from USD 1 million per FIFA Member Association to USD 25 million per FIFA Member Association all across the world,” he said.
The FIFA Council is expected to finalise the programme’s details in December 2026. It would then be submitted to the FIFA Congress for approval alongside FIFA’s budget.
Infantino apologises over Forward Enterprise process
Infantino also apologised for the way a separate FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal had been communicated and discussed.
He stressed that the initiative had not been approved and remained only a proposal. Its purpose, he said, was to help FIFA increase investment in member associations rather than replace support from existing funding sources.
“First of all, I apologised for the mistakes that we made in relation to the communication and consultation process related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, which then led to many consequences,” Infantino said.
“But what is important to remember is that it was a proposal, so in no way a done deal. Just a proposal that is actually intended to enable FIFA to invest more in our member associations as opposed to replacing support from existing resources.”
Infantino said the aim was to create more successful football development projects around the world, taking inspiration from the impact and reach of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“I feel we had a constructive discussion about processes, about the proposal, about everything that is connected with that, with different opinions and different points of view,” he added.
FIFA will respond in writing to questions raised by members of the Council as part of the consultation process.
Reviews planned on discipline and governance
The Council also discussed the FIFA Disciplinary Code and the proposed FIFA Peace Prise.
FIFA’s Legal Committee will review the Disciplinary Code, with a decision expected at the next FIFA Council meeting in December 2026. The Football Social Responsibility Committee will examine the proposed Peace Prise and prepare a recommendation for the Council.
FIFA will also establish a working group with the confederations to consider possible reforms to its governance framework.
Infantino invited confederations, member associations and other stakeholders to submit ideas.
“Of course, all confederations, Member Associations, stakeholders are invited to provide proposals so that this committee – this working group, reform working group, or reform taskforce – will be able to analyse them and come up with positive proposals for the future of FIFA’s governance,” he said.
If approved, the $25 million allocation could support infrastructure, grassroots football, competitions and other eligible projects for associations including the Ghana Football Association (GFA), subject to the final rules.
