FIFA President Infantino accused of hiding £1.3m extra salary from US World Cup subsidiary
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been accused of failing to disclose an additional £1.3 million in compensation received from a United States-based World Cup organising subsidiary, on top of his officially declared earnings for 2024.
According to filings with the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uncovered by British media, FWC2026 US Inc – the company set up to organise the 2026 World Cup in the United States – paid Infantino $1.76 million (£1.3 million) in 2024.
The payment does not appear in FIFA’s 2024 annual report, which listed Infantino’s total earnings as 4.27 million Swiss Francs, approximately £3.88 million.
FIFA’s own statutes state that “the individual compensation of the FIFA President must be made public,” and the omission has triggered calls for an independent investigation.
Former Chairman of FIFA’s Governance Committee, Miguel Maduro, has described the non-disclosure as a clear violation of FIFA’s rules.
“It is a clear breach of the rules if other sums were paid to him by companies linked to FIFA and were not declared,” Maduro told The Times. “FIFA regulations impose an obligation of full transparency. And it is not appropriate for the compensation sub-committee to authorise other forms of remuneration.
“Of the $1.76 million paid in 2024, $626,229 was logged as “other reportable compensation” on top of basic salary and bonus. Sources familiar with the accounts claim Infantino received similar amounts, or possibly more, for 2025 and 2026.
Reports suggest some of the undisclosed funds were used to cover a luxury lifestyle in Miami ahead of the 2026 World Cup, including the rental of a waterfront mansion for tens of thousands of dollars per month.
Since his election in 2016, FIFA has committed to publishing the president’s salary, bonus and allowances annually. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, who chairs the FWC2026 board, reportedly received no such extra payments from the subsidiary.
FIFA has defended the arrangement, stating that its compensation sub-committee determines the president’s salary and contractual benefits, and that payments relating to pension contributions, social charges and other employment benefits were reported to US authorities in line with reporting requirements.
The allegations come as Infantino faces mounting pressure ahead of Thursday’s FIFA Council meeting in Zurich, where he is already under scrutiny over an abandoned proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors and other governance issues.
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