Fresh reports allege that FIFA President Gianni Infantino received an undisclosed £1.3 million ($1.76 million) payment from a US-based subsidiary established to organise the 2026 World Cup in 2024, which the governing body did not disclose in its annual report.
An investigation by a British newspaper, The Times, found that U.S. tax filings showed FWC2026 US Inc., a FIFA-related company established to organise the tournament, paid Infantino $1.76 million in 2024, in addition to the remuneration publicly reported by FIFA. The payment has raised questions about compliance with the organisation’s financial transparency rules.
FIFA’s 2024 annual report listed Infantino’s compensation at 4.274 million Swiss francs, equivalent to approximately £3.88 million. The additional payment from the US-based company did not appear in the published figure, according to the investigation.
The report also raised questions about whether similar payments were made in 2025 and 2026. Sources cited by The Times suggested that Infantino received comparable or potentially larger sums in those years, although the claims have not been independently established.
The allegations have placed FIFA’s disclosure obligations under renewed scrutiny. Article 43, paragraph 13 of the organisation’s statutes states that the individual compensation of the FIFA president, members of the FIFA Council and the secretary general must be made public.
Miguel Maduro, former chairman of FIFA’s governance committee, told The Times that payments from companies linked to FIFA should be disclosed if they form part of the president’s remuneration.
‘It is a clear contravention of the rules if he is paid other amounts by companies related to FIFA and it is not made public,’ Maduro said, calling for an independent investigation.
He also questioned whether FIFA’s compensation sub-committee could authorise alternative forms of remuneration without making them public, stressing that the organisation’s rules require transparency over the president’s compensation.
The investigation also examined claims that some of the payments may have helped cover expenses associated with Infantino’s luxury accommodation in Miami. However, the alleged use of the funds has not been independently confirmed.
In response to the report, a FIFA spokesperson said the president’s annual compensation and contractual benefits were determined by the organisation’s compensation sub-committee. FIFA also said relevant benefits were reported to U.S. authorities in line with applicable reporting requirements.
The spokesperson’s response did not explain why the additional payments were absent from FIFA’s annual report, according to the published investigation. FIFA has rejected suggestions that it breached its statutes, maintaining that it complies with reporting requirements.
The allegations come as Infantino faces questions about FIFA’s governance and transparency ahead of the organisation’s presidential election scheduled for March 2027.
The latest disclosures are likely to intensify calls for greater accountability over how the governing body determines and reports the remuneration of its senior officials.