Breakdown of FIFA forward enterprise plan and how much each FA will get for football development

FIFA has announced a sweeping proposal to more than triple the funding available to its 211 member associations, with a new commercial restructuring plan that could push global football development investment beyond $10 billion over the next four years.

The announcement, made on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, comes just weeks after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America, which FIFA has described as the most successful edition in the tournament's history.

At the centre of the plan is a new subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would bring together FIFA's commercial operations, including broadcast rights, sponsorship, ticketing, and licensing, alongside the operational running of its tournaments.

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According to FIFA, the goal is to unlock more value from its commercial portfolio across men's, women's, and youth competitions, then funnel that additional revenue back into football development worldwide, including in federations like the Ghana Football Association.

Under the current FIFA Forward 3.0 cycle, which runs from 2023 to 2026, each of FIFA's 211 member associations is entitled to receive up to $8 million in Forward funding.

If the new proposal is approved, that figure would jump to $20 million per association for the 2027-2030 cycle, then rise again to $22 million for 2031-2034 and $24 million for 2035-2038.

Alongside the increased forward allocation, FIFA also wants to introduce a brand-new mechanism called the FIFA Fast Forward Programme, or FFFP.

This would give every member association the option, though not the obligation, to access up to $20 million in one-off capital for major long-term projects.

FIFA has specifically pointed to stadium construction and national training centres as examples of the kind of infrastructure this money could support, the sort of large-scale project that would normally sit beyond the reach of a single four-year development cycle.

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Taken together, FIFA says these two funding streams, layered on top of its existing programmes, could push its total planned development investment past $10 billion over the next four years, which it is calling the largest commitment of its kind ever made by a global sports organisation.

The extra funding hinges on FFE successfully raising fresh capital from outside investors. FIFA plans to raise up to $4.2 billion later this year to bankroll the Fast Forward Programme, based on an initial valuation of FFE at around $20 billion.

To do this, FIFA intends to sell minority, non-controlling stakes in the new subsidiary to a geographically diverse group of long-term investors, reportedly spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa.

FIFA has been clear that it intends to retain full control of the new entity. The governing body says it will keep majority board representation and hold exclusive authority over football governance, competitions, the international match calendar, and all regulatory and sporting decisions.

Outside investors, FIFA insists, would have no operational role and would be investing in a subsidiary of FIFA rather than in FIFA itself.

Reports indicate that Thrive Eternal, a permanent capital holding company, is expected to lead the proposed investor group, with Greg Maffei, the former president and CEO of Liberty Media during its ownership of Formula One, serving as a key commercial adviser on the project. J.P. Morgan has also been brought in to advise FIFA through the process, alongside other financial advisers engaging prospective investors.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino used strong language to describe the ambitions behind the plan, calling it a step toward levelling the playing field for smaller and less-resourced federations.

He said FIFA exists to support sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world, and that the organisation's job is to make sure the rest of football grows alongside its most commercially successful parts.

Infantino added that every FIFA member association should have an opportunity to seek a fair share of the available funding to shape its own future, deciding for itself rather than relying on others, describing the initiative as being about the democratisation of football worldwide.

He also said FIFA intends to invest heavily even in the smallest or most remote parts of the footballing world, places that are too often passed over, adding that every member association, whatever its size or location, will have a voice and the opportunity to determine its own course.

FIFA pointed to this year's World Cup as proof of concept for what sustained development funding can achieve, noting that a decade of rising forward support helped debutant nations such as Cabo Verde and Curaçao qualify and compete on the tournament's biggest stage.

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Despite the scale of the announcement, the plan is not yet finalised. FIFA has stressed that launching the new structure will require the backing of a majority of its member associations, as well as formal approval from the FIFA Council for the necessary regulatory changes.

The proposal has already drawn scrutiny from UEFA, which has raised governance concerns over the plan, according to separate reporting.

For federations like the Ghana Football Association, which currently receives its Forward allocation to support infrastructure, national teams, domestic competitions, coach education, women's football, and grassroots programmes, an increase from $8 million to $20 million per cycle would represent a significant jump in available resources, though any such benefit remains contingent on the plan clearing FIFA's internal approval process in the months ahead.