The FIFA Council unanimously approved investments dedicated to football development between 2023 and 2026, totalling $2.25 billion, as part of the “FIFA Forward” program.
This amount is seven times more than what was invested in development programs before 2016.
In an official statement, the FIFA Council stated that “the annual report, agreed upon by the Governance and Audit Committee in FIFA and the Finance Committee, will be distributed to all 211 member associations and presented to the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok on May 17, 2024, for final approval.”
Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA, said after the remote council meeting, “Thanks to FIFA’s rigorous approach to financial governance, the international federation is confidently surpassing the budgetary goals for the 2023-2026 cycle, totalling $11 billion.
This means that we will be able to provide services more tailored to the needs of the 211 national associations to assist them in implementing their projects in the fields of development, education, and advancing football to new horizons.”
During the meeting, the FIFA Council supported Infantino’s request to impose stricter measures to combat racism in football, elevate the commitment of all relevant parties, and add it to the agenda of the next Congress.
Infantino stated, “The 74th FIFA Congress will serve as a qualitative leap in the continuous efforts of the international federation to combat racism with the imposition of new and stricter measures applied worldwide in cooperation with all national and continental associations.”
Additionally, FIFA approved voting procedures at the upcoming Congress to select the host country (countries) for the 2026 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with expectations that the outcome of each vote and the total votes will be announced publicly during the next Congress meeting.
Three bids have been submitted to host the “FIFA Women’s World Cup”: a bid from Brazil, a joint bid from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, and a joint bid from Mexico and the United States.
Furthermore, the FIFA Council also approved hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup annually instead of once every two years, following the increase in the number of participating teams to 48, and the organization of the next five editions of the tournament being awarded to Qatar from 2025 onwards.
Additionally, the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup, which has expanded participation to 24 teams, will be held annually starting from 2025, with Morocco hosting it until 2029.
