FIFA Forward: $2.8bn donated to member associations & confederations over the 2016-2022 cycle

Thanks to its Forward development programme, FIFA has made almost $2.8bn available to its 211 member associations, six confederations and various regional/territorial associations between 2016 and 2022, funding "more than 1,600 specific projects with a long-term impact on football development," announced the international federation, which published the very first report dedicated to its main initiative for the development of football around the world on 22/12/2023.

"Established in 2016 after Gianni Infantino took office as FIFA president, and with the express aim of giving everyone around the world the chance to play football, the FIFA Forward programme has made a significant contribution to football development activities since its launch," said FIFA.

Some of the key figures to be taken from this report covering seven years of the programme's deployment include:
• almost a third of the projects funded concerned football infrastructure;
• 80% of investments, i.e. more than $2.24bn, were made directly to member associations;
• the majority of these investments in the 211 national…