FIFA said in a report on Friday that over the first two cycles of its Forward Development Programme, it gave $2.79 billion to its member organisations and confederations for investments in football development.

FIFA committed funds to a wide range of local projects during the program’s two completed iterations, which comprised a three-year and a four-year cycle, since its start in May 2016.

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“With the third cycle of the FIFA Forward Development Programme now underway, we have the perfect opportunity to reflect on the programme’s achievements since its launch in 2016,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

“From the very start, we pledged that revenues generated by football would be used for the benefit of our sport all around the world; for girls and boys, for women and men, and we have been as good as our word.”

According to the research, about 211 member associations of FIFA received $2.24 billion of the funds in the years up to and including 2022, with the remaining cash going to the confederations and regional associations.

The associations used the money to create domestic competitions, maintain already-existing infrastructure, and pay for ongoing administrative and governance-related expenses.

FIFA said that between 2016 and 2022, more than 1,600 initiatives with a “long-term impact on football” were approved; about a third of these projects had to do with football infrastructure, such as stadiums and technical centres.

FIFA announced that member associations will be eligible to receive up to $8 million to boost their development efforts during the program’s third edition, which kicked off a four-year cycle in January.