FIFA Reportedly Promised $1 Million Grant to U.S. World Cup Host Cities

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is reportedly facing controversy after informally promising to provide $1 million (approx. 1.4295 billion won) in grants to U.S. cities that hosted World Cup matches.

Citing the U.S. sports media outlet The Athletic, AFP reported on the 4th (local time) that U.S. cities that hosted the 2026 North and Central America World Cup are demanding that FIFA disburse soccer development grants.

Four committee members from the U.S. host cities told The Athletic in an interview that senior FIFA management promised to allocate $1 million in support funds to each host city from the legacy fund intended for soccer development in the host country following the tournament.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the committee members stated, "FIFA management did not make a public announcement, but made a verbal promise to provide the grants," adding that they have not yet received the funds.

Matches were held in 11 cities across the United States, one of the co-host countries of this World Cup.

The 2026 North and Central America World Cup was co-hosted by three countries—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—for the first time in history.

Through this tournament, which expanded the participating countries from 32 to 48, FIFA generated a record-breaking $15 billion (approx. 21.44 trillion won) in revenue.

AFP pointed out that the reported informal promise of grant payments deals another blow to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Infantino recently faced fierce backlash from the global football community after pushing forward with a plan to establish a new subsidiary to operate the World Cup and sell a stake in it to the private sector.

Although he ultimately scrapped the plan, he continues to face calls for his resignation from football circles around the world.

Infantino's plan to sell a portion of the World Cup stake was set to be led by Thrive Capital, a venture capital firm headed by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.