With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on the sporting calendar, FIFA's cash cow is still enjoying rude health.   

According to a financial report published by the football's world governing body on Friday, the behemoth's revenue in 2020 has exceeded the revised budget and is on track to hit its target of $6.44 billion for the 2019-2022 cycle.  

The document showed that the pandemic relief payments helped reduce FIFA's reserves by $705 million in 2020, and it awarded its president Gianni Infantino a $1 million bonus to raise his overall pre-tax pay above $3 million last year.

A key source of revenue was brand licensing for video games. "In contrast to the many economic sectors that were drastically affected by COVID-19, the video game industry proved far more resilient to the pandemic," the FIFA financial report said.   

"In addition, 2020 saw the introduction of FIFAe, a new eSports tournament brand designed to create a substantial stage for players, clubs and nations," it added.

Another source of revenue was the sale of marketing rights, 76 percent of which came from FIFA Partners. The document detailed that following on from Qatar Airways becoming an official partner of FIFA in 2017, Qatar-based logistics company, GWC, was announced as the first regional supporter for the 2022 World Cup. 

The decision to postpone or cancel FIFA competitions that were scheduled for 2020 meant that revenue from television broadcasting rights remained low for the year, but as at the end of 2020, 92 percent of the budget for these rights had been contracted for the 2019-2022 cycle, so FIFA is well-equipped to deliver its four-year revenue budget. 

Meanwhile, Infantino has admitted that the release of players for upcoming World Cup qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup was "difficult" amid the ongoing pandemic. He revealed that FIFA remained in dialogue with national authorities about exemptions from quarantine rules for national team players. 

Infantino played down the notion that FIFA would find a "perfect" solution, but the 50-year-old insisted that he was confident an agreement could be reached to protect the health of players and sporting integrity of the tournament.  

On a separate matter, FIFA confirmed in a video-conference on Friday that it intends to let the organization's wide-ranging Congress to pick the future hosts of the Women's World Cup rather than its restricted ruling Council.  

The move represents a significant step to bring the Women's World Cup in line with the men's World Cup as FIFA seeks to encourage a more open vote and raise the profile of the women's game.   

The proposal is expected to be granted by the FIFA Congress on May 31.