The Athletic reports that FIFA is expected to propose returning more than $6 billion to the global football community between 2027 and 2030, more than double the amount previously allocated for the same period.

Under the proposal, member associations would receive $25 million over the four-year cycle, an increase of $15 million from the originally planned $10 million. Meanwhile, each of the six continental confederations would receive $99 million during the same period.

According to a source familiar with the proposal, FIFA would fund the increased spending by allocating more than $3.5 billion from its financial reserves, following the unprecedented commercial success of the 48-team World Cup.

The development comes after FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is seeking re-election, wrote to the presidents of the six continental confederations in September, opening the door for increased financial distributions to member associations. If approved, funding for member associations will have risen from $1 million when Infantino became FIFA president in 2016 to $25 million.

FIFA’s plan to increase football development funding for the 2027-30 cycle will be discussed by the FIFA Council, the organisation’s main decision-making body, on Thursday. If approved, it will enter a consultation process before potentially receiving final approval from the FIFA Council in December. It will then be submitted to the FIFA Congress for final approval in March next year.

FIFA generated around $15 billion in revenue from the 2026 Men’s World Cup, hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico, exceeding its initial projection of $11 billion, which was later revised to $13 billion.

However, the proposal to distribute more funds comes after the failure of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which would have opened up a 20% stake in FIFA’s commercial and tournament operations to private investment. The plan led to intense scrutiny of Infantino.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani both called for Infantino to resign following the FFE controversy, while other key figures in football also expressed anger toward the 56-year-old FIFA president.

Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa also previously supported the view that Infantino should step down, although he later appeared to soften his stance and even reversed his earlier call for an independent review of FIFA’s governance.

Čeferin and Montagliani also wrote to Infantino, urging him to distribute part of FIFA’s reserves to member associations.

As part of the plan expected to be presented on Thursday — the first FIFA Council meeting since the FFE controversy was abandoned — FIFA will propose maintaining a cash reserve of $1.7 billion.

Despite calls for his resignation, neither Čeferin nor Montagliani has chosen to run for FIFA president. Both remain in charge of their respective continental confederations and have not put forward an alternative candidate ahead of next year’s election.

At present, unless another candidate enters the race before the November 18 deadline, Infantino is set to run unopposed for a third consecutive term.