Infantino orders review of $2.1 billion FIFA reserve payout sought by UEFA and CONCACAF

Confederation demands and Infantino's review

FIFA President Gianni Infantino instructed the governing body's administration on Monday, 28 September 2026, to assess proposals for distributing funds to all 211 member associations from its cash reserves. The move responds to a formal submission from UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, which was subsequently backed in writing by Asian Football Confederation chief Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa. The confederations requested a payout of at least $10 million for each national association during the 2027–2030 cycle, totaling approximately $2.1 billion. In their submission, the confederation heads also demanded an independent audit of FIFA's cash reserves, which they projected would reach around $6 billion by the end of 2026. Infantino sent his response to the presidents of all six continental confederations, confirming that Secretary General Mattias Grafström will consolidate the submissions for review by the FIFA Council on 15 October 2026.

I will support the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered through FIFA's proper governance process, applied fairly and supported by transparent and auditable arrangements.

The collapsed commercial project and financial debate

Infantino stressed that any distribution remains subject to financial verification, requesting that confederation leaders provide their underlying models and accounting assumptions. The current debate follows the collapse in July 2026 of the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, which sought to sell equity stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. Under that aborted plan, member associations stood to receive an additional $20 million over the four-year cycle, alongside a $20 million bonus for federations that signed within a 53-day window. UEFA and CONCACAF argued in an 18 September letter that FIFA can deliver substantial funding directly from its balance sheet without giving up tournament equity, noting that a $2.1 billion distribution would keep reserve levels above $1.5 billion. Infantino maintained in his Monday letter that the commercial initiative was intended to create revenue on top of existing reserve distributions rather than substitute for them.

The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable FIFA to invest more in football - not to replace support that could responsibly be provided from existing resources.

Governance tensions ahead of the 2027 election

The dispute over financial distribution unfolds ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 2027. Rival factions have until 18 November 2026 to nominate an opposing candidate for the presidency. English Football Association Chair Debbie Hewitt, who serves as a FIFA vice president, called for an independent investigation and the disclosure of all documents connected to the aborted commercial venture. German Football Association leaders Bernd Neuendorf and Hans-Joachim Watzke have also stated their desire to replace Infantino. Meanwhile, FIFA Vice President Lambert Maltock drew attention to the structural operating costs encountered by developing confederations. The FIFA Council will meet on 15 October 2026 to evaluate the administration's assessment and determine whether to alter reserve requirements or approve the confederations' distribution requests.