Sports Writer
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) is in line to receive up to US$25 million over four years under FIFA’s proposed Surplus Solidarity Programme, a major boost for football development in the country.
The initiative was discussed by the FIFA Council during its meeting at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday, with all 211 national associations expected to benefit, subject to approval and allocation criteria.
According to FIFA, the programme aims to more than double planned development funding for the 2027-2030 cycle to US$6.35 billion, using a portion of FIFA’s financial reserves following strong commercial returns from the expanded 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Based on an unaudited forecast surplus of US$5.2 billion to US$5.6 billion for the 2023-2026 financial cycle, FIFA has proposed retaining US$1.7 billion in hard reserves to protect against unforeseen circumstances, while distributing the rest.
Under the proposal, each member association would receive US$25 million – up from the US$10 million currently budgeted under the FIFA Forward 4.0 programme. That means an extra US$15 million per association.
The breakdown presented to Council is:
– US$25m per member association (211 associations)
– US$99m for each of the six continental confederations
– US$8.25m for each of the 13 zonal/regional associations, including COSAFA.
FIFA said distribution will be linked to development priorities, with one-third allocated to women’s and youth football, one-third to football infrastructure with equal access for women’s and youth football, and one-third to long-term development projects.
The proposal comes after pressure from confederation leaders, including UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, who had called for FIFA to increase direct funding to at least US$10 million per association. It also follows the withdrawal of the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) private equity proposal, which had been criticised by UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the plan reinforces FIFA’s commitment to serving member associations.
“FIFA’s money, including its reserves, belongs to the 211 FIFA Member Associations, and the proposal to increase investment… aims to reinforce our unwavering commitment to further supporting football development and access globally thanks to the outstanding financial result of the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Infantino told the Council.
The proposal’s eligibility criteria, application and approval procedures, disbursement arrangements, monitoring and audit requirements will undergo further review. The framework is expected to be finalised at the Council’s next meeting in December 2026 and included in FIFA’s 2026 Annual Report, before being submitted for final approval at the 77th FIFA Congress in March 2027 in Rabat, Morocco, where presidential elections will also take place.
For ZIFA, which has faced financial constraints and infrastructure challenges in recent years, the funding – if approved – could provide significant support for running costs, national team programmes, women’s football, youth development and stadium rehabilitation.