Infantino puts FIFA’s Africa investment at $1 billion

Infantino said FIFA had invested $1 billion in Africa over the past decade, including $500 million in the past four years. He also cited 124 completed projects and other initiatives aimed at developing football and infrastructure. The figures underpin his assessment that Morocco is among the African countries to have made progress in this area and is a model for football development.

The projects he highlighted include national training centres, stadiums and facilities for competitions, as well as new headquarters for federations. Infantino also pointed to improved conditions for hosting international matches: two years ago, 26 African countries could not stage those games at home because their stadiums did not meet the required standards. Now, 40 countries can host them in their own stadiums. He said FIFA would continue supporting infrastructure development across the continent.

The FIFA president also highlighted the results of African national teams. Nine of the continent’s 10 teams at the 2026 Cup reached the knockout stages, compared with none of the five participants in the 2018 edition. Infantino said those results reflected work carried out in countries across the continent. He added that African talent is increasingly present in world football and needs more opportunities to show its ability at the highest level.