FIFA to propose doubling development funding to more than $6bn

FIFA is ready to double the money it puts back into football around the world.

The governing body will ask its Council on Thursday to approve an extra $3.4 billion (£2.6 billion) for development in 2027-2030, on top of the $2.7 billion already budgeted for distribution, according to BBC.

That would take the total paid out to more than $6 billion across the four-year cycle. The extra cash would come from FIFA's reserves. The current $2.7 billion pot is earmarked for FIFA's 211 member associations — the national federations — plus confederations, regional bodies and some non-affiliated associations.

Under the plan, each of the 211 member associations would receive $25 million (£19 million) over the cycle. That is the headline figure for most national federations, from World Cup regulars to tiny island nations trying to keep the lights on.

The six confederations would get more. Those are the continental bodies that run football in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and Central America, South America and Oceania. Each would receive $99 million (£75 million).

Below them, each of the 13 zonal and regional associations would receive $8.25 million (£6.3 million). A further $1.1 million (£836,000) in travel and equipment support would go to 100 member associations that need help with the basic costs of competing.

FIFA wants the money split in three equal parts. One third would fund women's and youth football. One third would pay for infrastructure, with equal access for women's and youth teams. One third would go to other projects.

Nothing is signed yet. The rules on who can apply, how the cash is paid and how it is checked would be settled by the FIFA Council in December 2026. The full plan would then need a vote at the 77th FIFA Congress in March 2027.

That Congress will also decide the presidency. Gianni Infantino will stand for a fourth term in March 2027.

The proposal follows pressure from inside the game. In September, UEFA and Concacaf — the European and North American confederations — wrote to Infantino urging FIFA to pay at least $10 million (£7.5 million) from its reserves to each of the 211 member associations.

For fans, this means the debate is about what World Cup money is for. FIFA expects to earn $8.9 billion from the 2026 World Cup alone, according to SportsPro, as part of a $13 billion revenue target for the cycle. It has said it will reinvest at least $11.67 billion of that back into football development, a 20% rise on the last cycle, according to The Guardian.

If the Council backs the idea this week, the real fight comes next spring, when 211 federations vote.