PARIS, March 19 (Reuters) - FIFA has forecast record revenue of $14 billion for the 2027-2030 cycle, the governing body said after a Council meeting on Thursday, underlining the financial power of the men’s World Cup as president Gianni Infantino called for peace amid global geopolitical turmoil.
The projected income, unanimously approved as part of FIFA’s Annual Report 2025, will be reinvested in the game, with development funding under the FIFA Forward programme set to reach $2.7 billion over the next cycle — an eightfold increase compared to the period prior to 2016.
“This is not just about numbers, but about concrete outcomes,” Infantino said, adding that a successful World Cup translates into more opportunities for men, women and youth players, improved infrastructure and greater access to technology across FIFA’s member associations.
FIFA said the World Cup remains its main source of income, enabling what Infantino described as “unprecedented resources” to be channelled back into global development.
The financial projections were announced as Infantino reiterated football’s role in promoting unity.
“FIFA can’t solve geopolitical conflicts, but we are committed to using the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars,” he said.
He added that FIFA expects the expanded 48-team men’s World Cup to proceed as scheduled and called on participating teams to compete “in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect”.
On Wednesday, Iran soccer chief Mehdi Taj said that the Iranian national team were continuing to prepare for the World Cup finals and had no intention of pulling out of the tournament, having requested for their matches to be played in Mexico.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
