Funds amounting to $8.04 million (roughly P264.782 million) will be allocated to the Philippine Football Federation over the next four years by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the international governing body of soccer.
This is a 29 percent increase from what FIFA gave in the previous World Cup cycle to member nations worldwide.
The FIFA Council approved of the allocation following a meeting on Tuesday in Zurich, Switzerland.
The council gave its nod after FIFA got a record-breaking revenue of $7.6 billion during the 2019-2022 cycle, and the projected $11 billion that the world body is expected to gain during the 2023-2026 period.
FIFA recently published its annual report, revealing that it has earned “more than seven times the amount of funding has been provided to associations since Gianni Infantino became FIFA president in 2016.”
“It is FIFA’s duty to ensure not only that global tournaments engage with girls and boys, women and men from all corners of the world, but also that football continues to provide opportunities to everyone, wherever they are born,” said Infantino in a statement.
FIFA said that for the 2023-2026 cycle, the total investment for the FIFA Forward program will be $2.25 billion.
In the next cycle, they will be implementing the FIFA Forward 3.0 program, which will have every one of FIFA’s 211 member associations (MAs) getting approximately $8 million for football development projects and operational support.
FIFA Forward is the world body’s flagship development program, which aims to provide for development and seeks help increase global competitiveness.
For the Philippines, the support saw the Philippine national women’s team experiencing its maiden qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, something that never happened in the past.
The PFF, through its president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, was able to get a new home in 2021 in Carmona, Cavite, and it was done through the Asian Football Confederation President’s Infrastructure Initiative Programme in 2020.
The headquarters are located within walking distance of the national training center, a full-sized FIFA-funded artificial pitch and two mini-pitches.
The structures give the PFF the needed resources to house its core football facilities close together in a single location.