Gianni Infantino has been under heavy fire since the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA president’s position has been in serious question since the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise plan put a target on his back.
With a new presidential election coming up in March, the pressure on his position has called into question his viability of winning another term, able to run for one more four-year presidency before FIFA statutes prevent him from running again.
The commercial and financial success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has enriched the organization even further, growing the non-profit’s cash reserves which have already reached into the billions. Amidst calls to distribute that wealth amongst the member nations to grow the game globally, Infantino has devised a plan to put that money back into the game as the elections approach.
MORE: Gianni Infantino reportedly paid “secret salary” by FIFA
How much money does FIFA distribute to member associations?
Through the last four-year World Cup cycle, a period from 2023 to 2026, FIFA paid out approximately $1.76 billion in total to its member nations, which comes out to around $8.3 million per nation across the four years.
After the commercial success of the 2026 World Cup, UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF head Victor Montagliani have both publicly called on FIFA to increase that total to at least $10 million per member for the next four-year cycle.
Infantino’s plan to pay out $6 billion to associations
According to a report by Dan Sheldon of The Athletic on October 13, Gianni Infantino has devised a plan to increase FIFA’s distribution of wealth to member associations in the coming years.
The proposal would reportedly see a total of $6 billion distributed across member associations between 2027 and 2030, more than double what would normally have been handed out during that time.
Each member association would receive a total of $25 million over the four-year cycle, with an additional $99 million distributed to each continental confederation as well.
To accomplish this, FIFA would dip into its sizable financial reserves, distributing $3.5 billion from its coffers.
In order to take effect, this plan would first need to be approved by the FIFA Council at its meeting this Thursday, October 15, and then would need to be ratified by the FIFA Congress, which convenes in March. This plan, therefore, is likely not contingent upon Infantino’s re-election, which would also take place at that same event.