Although Uefa boasts some of the wealthiest members in world football, many other countries depend on Fifa funds to build basic facilities.
The AFC has come out against Gianni Infantino’s proposal but, unlike Uefa, has not warned of boycotting Fifa events. Its members also wouldn’t be required to vote it down.
Rogers Byamukama of the Ugandan Football Federation said any path that could channel more resources to nations like his deserves consideration.
“Football is costly—especially in Africa, where funding is hard to secure,” he told BBC World Service’s Newsday. He pointed to multiple Ugandan infrastructure projects financed by Fifa, using money generated at World Cups through ticket sales and sponsorships. He added that Fifa has also backed many grassroots initiatives, including school football programs. From his view, any increase in available resources would be positive, as those funds could be allocated to federations across Africa and spur development.
Byamukama said Uefa is entitled to voice concerns, but noted its members generally don’t rely on Fifa support to the extent many associations elsewhere do—where Infantino remains well-regarded.
Across the first two cycles of the Fifa Forward programme through 2022, $2.8bn (£2.08bn) was earmarked for investment across all 211 member associations. Fifa Forward 3.0, covering 2023–2026, raises that funding by 30%. Fifa has added $5m (£3.7m) for every member association and $60m (£44.48m) for each confederation to run their own projects.
After expanding the 2026 men’s World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, Fifa is now seeking an independent review of a potential increase to 64 teams for 2030. According to documents seen by BBC Sport, agencies were to submit proposals by 7 August, Fifa would decide on 14 August, and the chosen agency would deliver its analysis by 11 September.