The FIFA congress unanimously re-elected Gianni Infantino as president and highlighted the positive balance of the 2019-2022 cycle
FIFA held its 73rd Congress today in Kigali, Rwanda. There, the re-election of Gianni Infantino as president of the organization was confirmed, after receiving the unanimous support of the federations to be the only candidate.
At the ceremony, special emphasis was placed on the positive management of the coffers of the institution which, at the end of 2022, presented a balance that amounted to 6,796 million dollars, which represents an increase of 2,407 million compared to the 2015-2018 cycle.
This will enable FIFA to meet its FIFA World Cup obligations and maintain its commitment to the Forward 3.0 programme, which is scheduled to launch in 2023 and aims to provide more funding and support than ever before for development projects of the soccer around the world.
In terms of income, most corresponded to the sale of television, marketing and license exploitation rights. These three items, added to the rights of preferential services and ticket sales, reached the figure of 7,568 million dollars, a historical maximum for the entity.
Among the investments and expenses, the organization of the Qatar 2022 World Cup represented the largest outlay by FIFA, which allocated 1,708 million dollars for this purpose. Added to this are the 440 million in prizes and another 209 million 209 million distributed by the Club Aid Program among the clubs of the participating soccer players. Even so, payments related to competitions and events were 35 million under budget.
The rest of the expenses were divided between development and education activities, governance and administration, and marketing and television rights, but these items also reflected lower values than budgeted, thus generating significant savings.
The 2023-2026 cycle
For that period, FIFA has budgeted unprecedented income, based mainly on the expansion of its two star competitions: the men's and women's World Cups. The 2026 World Cup will be the most important event of the 2023-2026 cycle. For the first time, three countries will be in charge of the organization, which will have 48 participating teams.
In the 2023 Women's World Cup, the best soccer players in the world will compete from July 20 to August 20 to win the most important prize in women's soccer. Thanks to the expansion of the format, there will be 32 teams for the first time. In addition, also as a novelty, there will be two organizing countries from two different confederations.
