Gianni Infantino received $1.72 million World Cup payment not listed in FIFA accounts

FIFA president Gianni Infantino received an additional $1.72 million in 2024 tied to the 2026 World Cup that was not reflected in the governing body's annual financial report. The money came from FWC2026, the United States-based entity created by FIFA to operate the tournament being held in North America this summer.

• Gianni Infantino was paid $1.72 million by FWC2026, the company running the 2026 World Cup.
• The extra amount was not included in FIFA's 2024 annual report.
• It came on top of Infantino's FIFA salary and benefits of around $4.9 million.
• FIFA insists it meets all compensation reporting obligations and rejects any breach of its statutes.
• The 56-year-old Swiss official still plans to stand for re-election in March.

How the undisclosed World Cup payment came to light

US tax records show that FWC2026 paid Infantino the $1.72 million during 2024. The organization, based in the United States, was established by FIFA to run the tournament that the US, Mexico and Canada will co-host between June and July 2026. The supplementary amount was left out of the annual report published by the Zurich-based governing body for that year.

FIFA's internal regulations state that the individual compensation of the president, the members of the Council and the secretary general must be made public. The fact that this additional payment did not appear in the 2024 documents has raised questions about whether that transparency requirement was met.

FIFA's response to the payment reports

FIFA has reacted firmly to the reports. A spokesperson said the organization strongly rejects any suggestion that its statutes have been violated. According to the official position, the president does not receive a second salary and every reporting requirement related to his compensation is strictly followed.

FIFA does not pay a second salary to the FIFA President and complies with all reporting requirements in relation to compensation. The FIFA President's annual compensation, as well as other contractual benefits, are decided by the independent Compensation Sub-Committee.

The governing body adds that its accounts are independently audited and that all declarations meet tax regulations in Switzerland, the United States and elsewhere. FIFA says it remains fully focused on Thursday's Council meeting and on continuing to grow the game after what it describes as the most successful World Cup in history.

The abandoned plan to sell a World Cup stake

This is not the first controversy to affect Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016. Earlier this year, he faced criticism over a plan to sell a 20 percent stake in the World Cup to private investors. That proposal, aimed at bringing external capital into the tournament's commercial structure, was later abandoned following the backlash it generated.

Ceferin's next move and Infantino's re-election plans

Despite the scrutiny around his leadership, Infantino still intends to stand for re-election as president next March. Meanwhile, it was announced last week that Aleksander Ceferin, the UEFA president who has been a sharp critic of Infantino, is planning to seek a fourth term at the helm of European football's governing body. The overlapping electoral timelines add another layer to a relationship marked by public disagreements in recent years.

Frequently asked questions about Infantino's World Cup payment