Football governing body FIFA has announced a partnership with the Saudi Fund for Development. The partnership is expected to pledge USD 1 billion to fund the development of football infrastructure across the globe.

Both parties signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this week. The parties have the intention to offer discounted loans “for the construction and rehabilitation” of stadiums and other infrastructure. Under the arrangement, priority for any loans will be given to developing nations.

The Saudi Fund for Development has been in operation since 1974 and has always focused on funding infrastructural development.

According to a FIFA statement, “The new partnership would seek to support national governments in designing, financing, and building modern multi-sport venues.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino pointed out that the funding was needed to build the kind of stadiums that would enable countries to stage FIFA-approved tournaments. “Many of our Fifa member associations need additional support for the infrastructure necessary to host competitions,” he said. “This agreement is a crucial step in ensuring our FIFA member associations have the facilities to make football truly global.”

FIFA Forward 3.0

The announcement comes merely weeks before the start of 2026, the final year for the FIFA Forward 3.0 programme. FIFA Forward was established in 2016, and the project has spent USD 2,8 billion in new fields and technical centres around the world. In 2023, FIFA initiated FIFA Forward 3.0, which allocated USD 8 million for each member association during the four-year cycle which will end late 2026.