Zurich: FIFA’s strong financial framework aimed at advancing football globally was a focal point during the recent FIFA Council meeting, where the Annual Report 2024 was unanimously approved. This report includes a revised budget revenue target of $13 billion for the 2023-2026 cycle, with nearly 90% of this amount earmarked for reinvestment into the sport to significantly enhance global football development.
The updated budget anticipates $2 billion in revenues from the highly awaited FIFA Club World Cup 2025, which is expected to establish a new standard for international club football. Of this revenue, $1 billion will be allocated to the participating clubs, along with provisions for a solidarity mechanism aimed at supporting club football worldwide.
“The FIFA Club World Cup will serve as the pinnacle of club football and a clear illustration of solidarity that will benefit clubs on a scale unprecedented by any other competition,” stated FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“All revenues generated from the tournament will be allocated to the participating clubs and through global club solidarity, as FIFA will not retain any funds. The reserves held by FIFA, intended for the development of global football, will remain intact.”
“Simultaneously, we are committing a record investment of nearly $2.3 billion in the FIFA Forward Programme throughout the 2023-2026 cycle, which means that by 2026, we will have made an extraordinary total of up to $5.1 billion available for football development since 2016.”
Bidding processes for the 2031 and 2035 editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup
The FIFA Council approved the Bidding Regulations and Overview of Hosting Requirements for the 2031 and 2035 editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™.
Taking into account the countries that have previously hosted the tournament and that Brazil will be hosting the upcoming edition in 2027, the FIFA Council took the following decisions:
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2031: FIFA Member Associations affiliated to CAF and Concacaf are invited to bid for the 2031 edition; and
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035: FIFA Member Associations affiliated to CAF and UEFA are invited to bid for the 2035 edition
It is anticipated that the decisions on the hosts of the respective competitions will be taken at the 76th FIFA Congress in Q2 2026.
FIFA Women’s Club World Cup and FIFA Women’s Champions Cup
After engaging in productive discussions with confederations and significant stakeholders, the FIFA Council has determined that the inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup will be held in 2028. This tournament will adopt a competitive and inclusive format, featuring 19 of the leading clubs from around the globe. The initial phase will include six clubs competing in a play-in round, with the three victorious teams advancing to join 13 additional clubs in the subsequent stage. This stage will be organized into four groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from every group progressing to the knockout phase.
The slot allocation for the inaugural edition will be as follows:
- AFC, CAF, Concacaf and CONMEBOL: two direct slots and one play-in slot each
- UEFA: five direct slots and one play-in slot
- OFC: one play-in slot
The FIFA Council also approved the creation of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup from 2026 onwards, where the six winners of the confederation club competitions will contest this new global title in the years in which the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup does not take place.
The preliminary phase will involve the AFC champions hosting the OFC champions in the first round, with the victorious team advancing to face the CAF champions in the second round. The winners of the second round will move on to the semi-finals to compete against the UEFA champions, while the Concacaf champions will face the CONMEBOL champions. The Final Four, which includes the semi-finals, the third-place play-off, and the final match, is scheduled for the following dates:
- FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2026: 28 January 2026 to 1 February 2026
- FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2027: 27 January to 31 January 2027
- FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2029: 24 January to 28 January 2029
Other competitions
The FIFA Council approved the inclusion of several continental final tournaments in the Women’s International Match Calendar which is available on inside.fifa.com. The dates of matches 3, 4 and 5 of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup were confirmed as follows:
- The FIFA Derby of the Americas (match 3) on 10 December 2025
- The FIFA Challenger Cup (match 4) on 13 December 2025
- The FIFA Intercontinental Cup (match 5) final on 17 December 2025
The FIFA Council also approved the following tournament dates:
- FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025: 25-26 November 2025 (qualifying matches) and 1-18 December 2025 (final tournament)
- FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025: 3-27 November 2025
- FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026: 5-27 September 2026
