Infantino responds to confederations and sets October 15 meeting to review increased FIFA funding

Gianni Infantino has picked up the gauntlet thrown down by the six confederations. The FIFA president responded on Monday to the request from UEFA, CONCACAF, Conmebol, AFC, CAF and OFC for more funding for the 211 member associations, and he did so with a concrete first step: all proposals will be assessed on October 15 at the FIFA Council meeting. He made clear, however, that any additional financial support must be granted responsibly, applied fairly and backed by transparent and auditable mechanisms.

• Infantino replies by letter to the six confederation presidents after their request to raise the distribution to 2.1 billion dollars.
• The FIFA Council will examine the proposals on October 15, but no preliminary figure will be treated as an approved commitment.
• The president argues that FIFA's money belongs to the 211 member associations and demands financial data, governance and execution to support the ambition.
• The already withdrawn commercial proposal to manage the World Cup and other events would have complemented the support based on existing resources.

The six confederations request 2.1 billion dollars for the 211 member associations

The request came ten days ago, led by UEFA and CONCACAF, through a letter in which the confederations asked FIFA to increase the distribution among its 211 member associations to 2.1 billion dollars. Infantino's reply, accessed by EFE on Monday, is addressed to each confederation president: Aleksander Ceferin of UEFA, Victor Montagliani of CONCACAF, Alejandro Dominguez of Conmebol, Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of the AFC, Patrice Motsepe of CAF and Lambert Maltock of the OFC.

The FIFA president thanked them for their letters and stressed that their input confirms a broad consensus around the core objective: FIFA's financial success must serve football and the member associations that make up the organisation. In his response, Infantino recalls a message he delivered when he sought the trust of the member associations back in 2016: FIFA's money is your money.

What will be reviewed at the FIFA Council meeting on October 15

Infantino explained that the FIFA administration was already studying how to responsibly provide greater support for development and solidarity, provided that FIFA's financial situation was confirmed and the necessary institutional approvals were obtained. The confederations' letters, he added, bring complementary dimensions to that work: UEFA and CONCACAF propose a specific direct allocation; the AFC stresses the need for a decision to be endorsed on October 15 or for a short implementation timeline; and the OFC highlights the structural costs faced by developing confederations.

The president has instructed the secretary general to compile all proposals into an integrated assessment that will be submitted to the FIFA Council on October 15, 2026. To that end, he asked the leaders to send the relevant financial models, assumptions and supporting information behind their proposals. That way, the core assumptions can be verified with the involvement of the relevant FIFA committees, in line with FIFA's statutes and regulations.

The three issues the FIFA Council will need to define

According to the letter, the Council will have to settle three key matters: the amount and timing of any additional direct assistance to member associations, along with objectively justified support for confederations facing demonstrable structural costs; the prudent level of reserves needed to protect FIFA's obligations, financial strength and independence; and the arrangements for eligibility, implementation, reporting and auditing required to ensure sustainable and lasting benefits for football.

Infantino warns no preliminary figure is an approved commitment

The Swiss-Italian official was blunt in warning that no preliminary figure can be considered an approved commitment for the member associations until the assessment and the necessary approvals have been completed. He also said he will not get ahead of the amount at this stage, although he will support the highest level of additional funding that can be granted responsibly through FIFA's proper governance process, applied fairly and backed by transparent and auditable mechanisms.

Ambition is welcome. Now it must be backed by financial data, governance and execution.

The withdrawn commercial proposal and the consultation on FIFA decision-making

In his letter, Infantino also defended the already withdrawn proposal to create a commercial subsidiary to manage the World Cup and other FIFA events. He explained that the initiative was intended to allow FIFA to invest more in football, not to replace the support that could be provided responsibly with existing resources. In fact, he noted, it would have been a complement to it.

The president also proposed a structured, time-limited consultation on how FIFA's decision-making could be strengthened, and invited each of the presidents to submit any other proposal through that process. When the approval of the member associations is required, he stressed, they will be the ones to decide. Trust, he wrote, is not the absence of disagreement, but the ability to test proposals against facts and respect decisions duly adopted through FIFA's democratic and institutional processes.

Frequently asked questions about Infantino's response and FIFA funding