The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is considering a major increase in funds aimed at the development of football across the world. According to a new proposal, all 211 member national associations could get 25 million dollars each (around 42.5 million BAM) in the upcoming four-year cycle.
As Associated Press (AP) reported, FIFA is preparing a development fund worth 6.35 billion dollars – around 10.8 billion BAM, which would finance projects and activities of national associations across the world.
The primary plan was to give 10 million dollars (around 17 million BAM) to each association. But, thanks to expected revenues from the 2026 World Cup, FIFA is now considering increasing that amount to 25 million dollars (around 42.5 million BAM) per member.
The financial outlook of the world’s football organization has significantly improved. FIFA assessed that total revenues in the 2022-2026 period could reach approximately 15 billion dollars (around 25.5 billion BAM), which is significantly higher than previous projections.
The plan is to ensure more than 3.5 billion dollars (around 6 billion BAM) from the FIFA financial reserves. The commercial success of the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, further strengthened the reserves.
This could provide a significant financial resource for national associations, especially in countries where investments in infrastructure, youth categories, and football development are limited by a lack of funds.
However, it is important to emphasize that the proposal has not yet been finally adopted. It is expected that the proposal will be presented to the FIFA members, after which it should be known whether the planned distribution will be confirmed.
The discussion on increasing development funds comes at a time when political questions are raised within FIFA.
Gianni Infantino, head of the organization since 2016, plans to run for the new mandate next year. At the same time, certain European football officials consider offering support to an alternative candidate.
Infantino’s private investment plan connected with the World Cup has sparked further speculation. According to AP reports, this plan was withdrawn just a few days after it was presented in July.
The increase in funds for national associations could represent a major step forward in the development of football at the global level, but the question remains: how will money be distributed and how much will it really contribute to the development of sport in individual countries?
If the proposal is adopted, the national associations will face a major financial opportunity, but also a responsibility to direct the received funds toward the long-term development of football.
