UEFA and CONCACAF have formally called on FIFA to distribute at least 10 million US dollars to each of its 211 member associations from the organisation’s substantial cash reserves. The joint demand, set out in a letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing tensions surrounding FIFA’s financial strategy and governance.
The Core Proposal
In the letter signed by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, the two confederations argue that FIFA is on course to close the 2023-26 financial cycle with reserves of approximately 6 billion dollars. They describe this figure as considerably more than the organisation requires to operate through to the 2030 men’s World Cup.
Their proposal is clear: FIFA should make at least 10 million dollars available to every member association over the 2027-30 cycle. The funds would be earmarked specifically for investment in infrastructure and football development. The total cost of this one-off distribution would amount to roughly 2.11 billion dollars. Importantly, the payment would sit on top of the existing FIFA Forward Programme, which would continue unchanged.
Even after such a substantial release of funds, the letter states, FIFA’s reserves would not fall below about 1.5 billion dollars at any point during the next cycle. The confederations present this as a conservative and responsible use of resources that already belong to the global game.
Context of Growing Tension
The demand comes in the immediate aftermath of the abrupt collapse of Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. That plan, unveiled and then withdrawn within four days, would have created a new commercial entity to manage rights for FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, with a significant stake offered to private investors. National associations expressed widespread opposition, leading to the scheme’s rapid abandonment.
Ceferin and Montagliani’s letter directly questions the necessity of that abandoned transaction. Their analysis, they say, raises an important question about whether selling interests in FIFA’s competitions was required at all in order to deliver greater resources to member associations. FIFA, they argue, already possesses the capacity on its own balance sheet to provide substantially more support without any sale of rights and without asking anything of the associations in return.
Call for Independent Review
Beyond the specific payout figure, the two presidents have requested an independent review of FIFA’s financial reserves and overall position. They propose that the confederations jointly examine the figures and agree on the appropriate level of reserves that should be released directly to member associations. Recommendations on disbursements would then be presented through the proper governance channels at the next FIFA Council meeting, scheduled for 15 October.
The letter emphasises that development is an institutional responsibility of FIFA rather than a matter of individual discretion. By framing the request in these terms, UEFA and CONCACAF are positioning the issue as one of sound stewardship of resources that exist to serve football and its 211 member associations worldwide.
Potential Impact on Global Football Development
If adopted, the proposed distribution would represent one of the largest single transfers of development funding in FIFA’s history. For many smaller associations, an additional 10 million dollars over a four-year cycle could prove transformative, enabling investment in pitches, youth academies, coaching education, women’s football programmes and administrative capacity.
The existing FIFA Forward Programme already provides significant support — under Infantino it has risen to around 8 million dollars per association over a four-year cycle. The new proposal would sit entirely on top of that committed funding, creating a meaningful boost without disrupting ongoing projects.
Supporters of the idea argue that large cash reserves sitting unused do little for the development of the game at grassroots and national level. Releasing a portion of those reserves, they contend, would demonstrate a clearer commitment to the associations that form FIFA’s membership base.
Political and Governance Dimensions
The intervention by UEFA and CONCACAF also carries political weight. Both Ceferin and Montagliani serve as FIFA vice-presidents, giving their joint letter institutional significance. They have separately written to the presidents of the other confederations — Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania — seeking broader support for the proposal ahead of the October Council meeting.
The timing is notable. Infantino is expected to face the FIFA Council for the first time since the Forward Enterprise episode, and the presidential election is scheduled for March 2027. The discussion over reserves and development funding is therefore likely to form part of a wider debate about FIFA’s direction, transparency and relationship with its member associations.
Looking Ahead
Whether the proposal gains traction will depend on the response from other confederations and the deliberations of the FIFA Council. Some associations may welcome the immediate injection of funds for development, while others may prefer a more cautious approach to FIFA’s balance sheet. FIFA itself has not yet issued a detailed public response to the specific figures put forward.
What is clear is that the conversation about how FIFA manages and distributes its growing financial resources has intensified. The letter from UEFA and CONCACAF frames the issue in practical terms: FIFA holds substantial reserves, the game needs investment in infrastructure and development, and a carefully calibrated one-off distribution could deliver tangible benefits without jeopardising the organisation’s long-term stability.
For national associations around the world, particularly those with limited domestic resources, the outcome of this discussion could have lasting consequences. The coming weeks, culminating in the October Council meeting, will determine whether the call for a 10-million-dollar payout to every member becomes policy or remains a point of contention in the ongoing debate over FIFA’s financial priorities.
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