FIFA President Gianni Infantino saw his annual bonus rise by 33% last year, contributing to a total pay package of $6 million. His basic annual salary remained unchanged at 2.6 million Swiss francs ($3.3 million), while his bonus increased by 550,000 Swiss francs ($695,000) to 2.2 million Swiss francs ($2.78 million). In each of the two prior years, Infantino's annual bonus had been 1.65 million Swiss francs ($2 million).
The bonus hike is linked to the 2025 men's Club World Cup organized in the United States, a month-long event that marked FIFA's first such tournament. This competition, heavily backed by Saudi Arabian money, added approximately $2 billion to FIFA's revenue, which is projected to reach at least $13 billion for the four-year period through the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA published its annual accounts on Thursday, setting a budget target of $14 billion in estimated revenue for the 2027-2030 cycle. This four-year commercial period includes the second edition of the men's Club World Cup—host nation yet to be decided—along with both men's and women's World Cups. The Women's World Cup is scheduled for Brazil in 2027, while the men's 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with single games in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
FIFA aims to allocate $2.7 billion of its $14 billion revenue as development funds to its 211 member federations, plus continental and regional football bodies. This represents a 20% increase over the current four-year period. Infantino is due for re-election next year for a fourth term, which would extend his presidency to 15 years through 2031. This is the maximum allowed under FIFA statutes, which currently permit his successor only three four-year terms.
FIFA has disclosed salary details for top executives and senior elected officials as part of transparency reforms enacted on the day Infantino was elected in 2016. Payments are determined by a FIFA-appointed compensation panel. It remains unclear whether the FIFA leader is entitled to additional payments, such as for maintaining residences in his native Switzerland and in Florida, where FIFA has a base in Coral Gables for organizing the 2026 World Cup across North America.
Source: www.aljazeera.com