Rabat – FIFA President Gianni Infantino received a previously undisclosed $1.72 million payment tied to the 2026 World Cup, according to internal FIFA records and U.S. Internal Revenue Service tax filings obtained by ESPN.
The failure to report the additional payment could violate FIFA’s own rules, according to Tuesday’s report.
FIFA statutes require the compensation of its seniors to be made public. The omission of the $1.72 million payment from its official financial report could mean FIFA violated its own rules on reporting executive pay.
According to U.S. tax documents, Infantino received the payout in 2024 from FWC2026. The U.S.-based non-profit was established by FIFA to manage and operate the 2026 World Cup.
The $1.72 million payment was given on top of Infantino’s official 2024 FIFA pay package, which was already worth about $4.9 million. However, FIFA left this additional money out of its 2024 annual financial report.
“The Compensation Sub-Committee shall in particular define Compensation Rules and determine the compensation of the FIFA President, the members of the Council and the FIFA Secretary General. The individual compensation of the FIFA President, the members of the Council and the FIFA Secretary General shall be made public,” Article 43, paragraph 13 of FIFA’s statutes states.
A FIFA spokesperson rejected the allegations in comments to ESPN and denied breaking any of its own rules or statutes.
In a follow-up statement to ESPN, a FIFA spokesperson maintained that Infantino does not receive two separate salaries.
The spokesperson said that FIFA follows all financial reporting rules and that the President’s pay and benefits are set entirely by an independent committee.
“FIFA strongly rejects any claims that it has failed to disclose any financial information and has violated FIFA’s Statutes,” he said.
The disclosure adds to controversies surrounding Infantino, who has led the organization since 2016.
Earlier this year, Infantino faced heavy backlash over a proposal to sell a 20% stake in the World Cup to private investors, a plan that FIFA ultimately dropped.
