Gianni Infantino issued a public apology following the latest FIFA Council meeting at the Home of FIFA in Zurich. FIFA also announced a financial initiative called the FIFA Surplus Solidarity Programme and said the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal had been permanently withdrawn.
New funding plan
The plan will more than double development funding for the 2027-2030 period, with the total support package reaching $6.35 billion. Under the new proposal, allocations per FIFA Member Association will rise to $25 million while maintaining $1.7 billion in hard reserves.
Infantino said: "As has been said many times since 2016, FIFA’s money, including its reserves, belongs to the 211 FIFA Member Associations, and the proposal to increase investment across all FIFA Member Associations, confederations and other stakeholders to USD 6.35 billion aims to reinforce our unwavering commitment to further supporting football development and access globally thanks to the outstanding financial result of the FIFA World Cup 2026,"
GOAL said the plan was driven by exceptional commercial returns from the 48-team 2026 World Cup. GOAL said the package draws from an estimated cycle surplus of between $5.2 billion and $5.6 billion.
Distribution and approval process
The distribution of the $6.35 billion funding will align directly with women's football, youth development, long-term projects, and infrastructure. The plan remains subject to final approval mechanisms to ensure strict control and audit standards.
The FIFA administration will now work alongside relevant committees to finalise the eligibility, application, and disbursement rules for the Surplus Solidarity Programme. The full framework will be submitted to the FIFA Council at its next meeting in December 2026, and all major proposals, including the expanded funding distribution plan, will be put forward for formal approval at the 77th FIFA Congress in March 2027.
FFE withdrawal and legal update
The FIFA Council confirmed that the FFE initiative will not reappear in any form. Infantino said: "We held discussions in relation to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, where everyone had the opportunity to ask questions and express their views,"
Externally appointed lawyers updated members on confidential legal proceedings in the United States.
Governance working group
A new working group featuring representatives from across the confederations will examine FIFA's overall governance framework. Infantino said: "In ten years since I became FIFA President, we have gone from USD 1 million per FIFA Member Association to USD 25 million each – all across the world. At the same time, I would like to thank everyone who has made suggestions over the past few months on the distribution of FIFA’s funds to our 211 FIFA Member Associations as we need to look forward in a spirit of unity and in the best interests of football."