Fifa to offer extra £2.6bn for football development

Key points

• Fifa proposes $3.4bn (£2.6bn) extra for football development from reserves.
• Total development spending for 2027-2030 would reach $6.35bn (£4.83bn).
• Plan needs council approval in December 2026 and congress approval in March 2027.

Fifa is set to propose a $3.4bn (£2.6bn) increase in funding for football development worldwide. The governing body plans to release the money from its reserves, more than doubling the planned distribution for 2027-2030. It says the extra cash is possible due to the commercial success of this summer's World Cup.

The proposal will be presented at a Fifa council meeting on Thursday. It comes as Fifa faces pressure after president Gianni Infantino's aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise plan, which would have sold stakes in competitions to private investors. Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation criticised the plan and questioned Infantino's position.

Funding details and allocation

The extra money would be added to the current $2.7bn (£2.05bn) budgeted for all 211 member associations, confederations, regional associations and certain non-Fifa affiliated associations. In total, Fifa would spend $6.35bn (£4.83bn) on football development for 2027-2030, focusing on women's and youth football.

Distribution terms include one third for women's and youth football development, one third for infrastructure with equal access for women's and youth football, and the remainder for other purposes. Specific allocations include $8.25m (£6.3m) for each of the 13 zonal/regional associations and $1.1m (£836,000) for 100 member associations for travel and equipment solidarity. The plan will be finalised by the Fifa council in December 2026 and is subject to approval by the 77th Fifa congress in March 2027.

the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered

— Gianni Infantino

Disciplinary code proposal

BBC Sport understands a proposal is on the table to change the disciplinary code and prevent a repeat of the Folarin Balogun situation. Balogun, a US striker, did not miss a game after being sent off in the World Cup because his ban was suspended. If approved, the regulations would expressly state that an automatic one-match ban for a red card cannot be suspended.

Questions have been raised over the process that led to Balogun's ban being suspended. US President Donald Trump said he called Infantino to get the ban rescinded, raising concerns over political interference. A proposal would add to Article 27 a list of instances where a ban cannot be suspended, including an automatic one-game ban for a red card.