NFF, Other FIFA Members Could Receive $20m Each Under New Funding Proposal

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and FIFA’s other 210 member associations could receive up to $20 million each under a new funding proposal unveiled by world football’s governing body to expand investment in football development.

FIFA announced the proposal on Tuesday, saying the package includes an optional one-off $20 million allocation through the proposed FIFA Fast Forward Programme (FFFP) for special projects, alongside significantly increased funding under the existing FIFA Forward programme.

If approved, member associations would receive $20 million each during the 2027–2030 cycle, a substantial increase from the current $8 million allocation.

The proposal also provides for funding to rise to $22 million per association for the 2031–2034 cycle and $24 million for the 2035–2038 period.

According to FIFA, the initiative is designed to strengthen football development worldwide by supporting infrastructure, coaching, national teams, grassroots football, competitions and women’s football.

To finance the programme, FIFA plans to establish a new subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would consolidate its commercial and event operations.

Under the proposal, FIFA would retain full control of football governance, competitions, the international match calendar and all regulatory and sporting decisions, while selling minority, non-controlling interests in FFE to carefully selected long-term investors.

FIFA said the new entity aims to raise up to $4.2 billion, based on an initial valuation of $20 billion, with all net proceeds reinvested into football development.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the objective was to ensure that football’s commercial success benefits every member association.

“Every FIFA Member Association should have an opportunity to seek a fair share of the available funding to shape its own future,” Infantino said.

“This is about the democratisation of football worldwide.”

The governing body noted that the proposal would require approval from a majority of its member associations and the FIFA Council before implementation.

If endorsed, FIFA said its overall commitment to football development would exceed $10 billion over the next four years, describing it as the largest investment programme ever undertaken by a global sports organisation.

FIFA added that increased development funding had already contributed to countries such as Cabo Verde and Curaçao qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time.