The FIFA Council has met in advance of the FIFA World Cup™ final in Doha, Qatar, which FIFA President Gianni Infantino hailed as the “best ever”, following nearly a month during which “football reinforced its unique cohesive power by uniting the world in a spirit of peace and friendship”, and adopted a number of key decisions for the future of football.

While confirming that FIFA’s revenue at year end would stand at USD 7.5 billion – USD 1 billion more than budgeted – the FIFA Council approved the budget for the 2023-2026 cycle, which will see a revenue of USD 11 billion, of which a substantially increased proportion will be allocated to football investment, amounting to USD 9.7 billion.

In relation to the Talent Development Scheme (TDS) which is led by Arsène Wenger, Chief of Global Football Development, the FIFA Council approved a dedicated funding allocation of USD 200 million to cover the 2023-2026 operational life cycle of this ground-breaking initiative, which aims to create a sustainable legacy for long-term player development by helping each member association (MA) reach its full potential and ultimately give every talent a chance.

The allocation of funds to the MAs participating in the TDS will follow a tailor-made approach that will take into consideration their specific needs. These MAs will also benefit from extra solidarity funding, subject to specific criteria.

Any TDS funds not allocated by 31 December 2026 will automatically be transferred to the Football Development Fund to provide indefinite and exclusive support to FIFA Forward 3.0 beneficiaries. 

Several key strategic principles related to the international match calendars and competitions for both men’s and women’s football were endorsed by the FIFA Council. 

For men’s football, an expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup™ is set to begin in June 2025 (following the postponement of the original 24-team tournament planned for 2021) and will take place every four years.

The windows for the international match calendar as of 2025 would include one extended window with four matches in late September and early October to replace the current two separate windows in September and October, with the other windows (November, March and June) unchanged.

In order to increase the possibilities for teams from different confederations to play each other, FIFA would launch friendly tournaments – “FIFA World Series” – which would take place in the March window in even years. The decision for the FIFA World Cup 2030 host will also be made in 2024, with the bid regulations to be published early next year.