Overview
- The special fund will run from 2026 to 2029 to help professional players recover unpaid wages when clubs run into financial trouble.
- FIFA announced the move after its new Professional Players Consultation Forum met in Rabat with representatives from 30 unions across five continents.
- Participants agreed on minimum workload protections, including at least 72 hours between matches, a 21-day off-season break, a weekly rest day, and consideration of long-distance travel and climate in the calendar.
- FIFPro says it was not invited and notes it represents more than 65,000 players through affiliated unions, challenging the forum’s representativeness.
- FIFA says the fund’s detailed design will be decided later in coordination with unions, while FIFPro says a similar joint fund operated from 2020 to 2022 before being discontinued.