Tue, September 29, 2026
Infantino to potentially distribute more money to member associations
FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, will reportedly consider distributing more money from a $6 billion cash reserve to member associations following demands from the governing body of European football, UEFA, and CONCACAF, which governs football across North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Infantino reportedly wrote to all six confederations: UEFA, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation), CAF (Confederation of African Football), AFC (Asian Football Confederation) and OFC (Oceania Football Confederation). He stated he will “support the greatest level of additional funding,” but has not agreed to the $10 million per member which was suggested.
UEFA AND CONCACAF presidents, Aleksander Ceferin and Victor Montagliani, proposed that all of FIFA’s 211 members should receive an additional payout of at least $10 million during the 2027-2030 commercial cycle. The AFC also backed this plan in a separate letter. This will likely be discussed during FIFA’s meeting on 15 October.
Infantino voiced: “I will not prejudge the amount…
I will support the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered through FIFA’s proper governance process, applied fairly and supported by transparent and auditable arrangements. The ambition is welcome. The financial evidence, governance and implementation must now support it…
A single figure can begin the discussion, but it cannot complete a global policy. I have therefore instructed the Secretary General [Mattias Grafström] to consolidate all submissions into one integrated assessment for consideration by the FIFA council on 15 October 2026.”
However, Infantino also used his letter to the presidents of the six confederations to yet again defend his previous intention to sell of stakes in FIFA’s major events. Infantino hoped that money would be raised by “liquidating a minority portion” of its stake on FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a subsidiary company which Infantino hoped to create to boost commercial revenue.
Under the now abandoned FFE proposal, member associations would have received an additional $20m during the next four-year cycle, plus a further payment of $20m had they signed up before a certain date, as stated by The Guardian.
Infantino used his letter as an opportunity to remind associations of this: “The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable FIFA to invest more in football – not to replace support that could responsibly be provided from existing resources…
I welcome the constructive intent reflected in each of your letters. We may differ on the best route forward, but I have no doubt that each of us wants what is best for FIFA, its member associations and football.”
Despite this, it has also since been announced that Infantino is accusing UEFA of a “misinformation campaign” involving the FFE, amid a legal dispute in which UEFA is seeking documents in the US as it considers potential legal action against Infantino in Switzerland.
Furthermore, in a separate money distribution announcement involving football, UEFA has confirmed it will distribute €31.5m to clubs that released players for the 2024–25 Nations League.
