Doha [Qatar], March 20: FIFA's steadfast commitment to peace and unity was at the core of the online FIFA Council meeting held at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, at which FIFA President Gianni Infantino called for peace and reiterated the key role of football to bring people together in times of continuous geopolitical turmoil.
A release stated: "FIFA can't solve geopolitical conflicts, but we are committed to using the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars," said President Infantino.
"FIFA is looking forward to all teams participating at the FIFA World Cup to compete in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect. We have a schedule. We will soon have the 48 competing teams confirmed, and we want the FIFA World Cup to go ahead as scheduled."
Biggest global development programme to increase
FIFA's ongoing efforts to promote football across the world were underpinned by the unanimous approval of the Annual Report 2025, including a record-breaking revenue budget of USD 14 billion foreseen for the 2027-2030 cycle, which of course will be reinvested in the game.
During the upcoming cycle, FIFA's Member Associations will be entitled to benefit from an eightfold increase in football development investment in comparison to the programmes that were in place prior to 2016, as FIFA Forward investments will reach a new high of USD 2.7 billion.
"FIFA is fulfilling its mission to improve and promote the game globally by reinvesting unprecedented resources into football," said President Gianni Infantino. "This is not just about numbers, but about concrete outcomes, such as more opportunities to compete at the highest level for men, women and youth players, as well as better infrastructure and enhanced access to technology across all our FIFA Member Associations, to mention but a few.
"FIFA has taken massive strides in terms of football investment in the past ten years. This wouldn't have been possible without the FIFA World Cup, which remains our main source of income. A successful FIFA World Cup means more children playing football and benefiting from its educational power, more pitches and more capacity-building across the world."
Hosts of two editions of FIFA Women's World Cup to be appointed at Extraordinary Congress
With the bidding process ongoing for the 2031 and 2035 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the voting procedures for the appointment of the prospective hosts as part of the single-candidate process confirmed by the FIFA Council in March 2025 were approved.
Working together with the bidding FIFA Member Associations, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico and the United States for 2031, and England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales for 2035, FIFA will convene an Extraordinary Congress before the end of 2026.This Extraordinary Congress will be a stand-alone event dedicated to the presentation of the bids, which will highlight the growing power and influence of women's football and FIFA's flagship women's tournament. The 2031 edition will be the first to include 48 teams.
Decision on proposal made by Palestine Football Association
Following the submission made by the Palestine Football Association at the 74th FIFA Congress and the subsequent request made by the FIFA Council to the FIFA Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC) to investigate the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams allegedly based in the territory of Palestine, the following was concluded:
FIFA should take no action given that, in the context of the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes, the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law.
FIFA should continue to promote dialogue and offer mediation between the Palestine Football Association and The Israel Football Association at an operational level. In this context, FIFA will continue to facilitate structured engagement and monitor developments.
Landmark protection for women working in football
To promote gender equality and to reflect the investments being made by FIFA across the game, all FIFA's women's competitions going forward will include the regulatory requirement that the head coach and/or at least one of the assistant coaches, as well as one member of the team's medical staff and two of the officials on the team bench, be female.
Other decisions
Following consultation with external stakeholders and with the aim of further enhancing FIFA's commitment to ensuring a football environment that is free from all forms of harassment and abuse, the FIFA Council approved the FIFA Safeguarding Policy.
The FIFA Council approved the introduction of the FIFA ASEAN Cup, first presented to the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia in October 2025 to positive reception, with the first edition planned for September-October 2026.
The dates of the CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2026 were adjusted in the Women's International Match Calendar as follows: 26 July to 16 August 2026 with a shortened release period to start on 20 July 2026.
The FIFA Council equally confirmed that the next edition of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco will take place from 17 October to 7 November 2026.FIFA President calls for peace and invites all
FIFA World Cup to compete in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect
Record-breaking revenue budget of $14 billion foreseen for 2027-2030 cycle
Source: Qatar Tribune
