FIFA president Gianni Infantino has opened the door to substantial increases in funding for the world governing body’s 211 member associations, with the FIFA Council expected to consider additional payments at its meeting on 15 October.
In a letter sent to the presidents of FIFA’s six continental confederations on Monday and seen by Agence France-Presse, Infantino said he would support “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered”.
However, he stressed that no figure currently being discussed should be regarded as an approved commitment. Reuters reported that any additional funding would be subject to financial assessments and formal approval through FIFA’s governance process.
The development follows a proposal by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani for each of FIFA’s 211 member associations to receive at least $10 million during the 2027–30 cycle.
The proposed one-off distribution would amount to about $2.1 billion and would be additional to funding already approved under the FIFA Forward Programme.
Infantino said the now-abandoned proposal to sell a stake in FIFA’s commercial rights had also been intended to generate additional funding for football.
“The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable FIFA to invest more in football,” he wrote.
The abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise plan had faced strong opposition from several football authorities and triggered calls for greater scrutiny of FIFA’s financial and governance arrangements.
Infantino said he would not prejudge the amount that could eventually be distributed, but would support the highest level of additional funding that could be responsibly delivered through FIFA’s formal governance procedures.
The FIFA Council is expected to review the proposals on 15 October, following an assessment of the organisation’s financial position and the different funding options.
FIFA confirmed earlier this month that Infantino intends to seek another term as president in the election scheduled for March 2027. The development comes amid continued disagreement within world football over his leadership and the abandoned private investment proposal.
Ceferin and Montagliani have been among Infantino’s most prominent critics, while the football authorities in Africa and South America have backed the FIFA president. Saudi Arabia, which will host the 2034 World Cup, has also publicly supported Infantino.
