Following nearly a month in which “football reinforced its unique cohesive power by uniting the world in a spirit of peace and friendship,” the FIFA Council met today in advance of the FIFA World Cup final in Doha, Qatar, which FIFA President Gianni Infantino hailed as the “best ever,” and adopted a number of crucial decisions for the future of football.
The FIFA Council approved the budget for the 2023–2026 cycle, which will see revenues of USD 11 billion, of which a significantly increased proportion will be allocated to football investment, amounting to USD 9.7 billion, while also confirming that FIFA’s revenue at year’s end would stand at USD 7.5 billion—USD 1 billion more than budgeted.
The FIFA Council approved a dedicated funding allocation of USD 200 million to cover the operational life cycle of the Talent Development Scheme (TDS), which is led by Arsène Wenger, Chief of Global Football Development. This ground-breaking initiative aims to create a sustainable legacy for long-term player development by assisting each member association (MA) to realize its full potential and ultimately give every talent a chance.
Every four years, men’s football will have an expanded 32-team FIFA Club World CupTM, which will start in June 2025 (after the original 24-team tournament was postponed for 2021). The FIFA Women’s World Cup hosts for 2027 and 2031 will be determined in 2024 and 2025, respectively, so the women’s football calendar structure will not change until 2025.
FIFA tournaments will be held in Morocco, United Arab Emirates, and Seychelles. The FIFA Council also named the Moroccan Football Association the FIFA Club World Cup 2022TM, which will be held from February 1 to February 11, 2023, host nation. Additionally, it was confirmed that the United Arab Emirates Football Association will host the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2023TM, while the Seychelles Football Federation will host the tournament in 2025.