FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced Today that the organization is abandoning its proposal to sell minority stakes in a new commercial subsidiary that would have run events including the World Cup. Infantino said the project had created divisions that no longer served its original purpose, adding that the proposal would not move forward.
What was FIFA actually trying to do
FIFA had proposed creating a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise to oversee its major tournaments, with outside investors able to buy minority, non-controlling stakes. The plan was reportedly built around a $20 billion valuation and aimed to raise as much as $4.2 billion, with FIFA saying it intended to retain majority control throughout. In exchange, member associations were offered payments, with figures reported as high as $40 million per federation contingent on backing the plan by a September 19 deadline, along with a broader promise of increased funding allocations for the 2027 through 2030 cycle.
Why did the plan collapse so quickly
Opposition mounted almost immediately after the plan became public and snowballed over roughly five days. UEFA, European football’s governing body, voted to boycott all FIFA competitions for as long as the proposal remained active, a striking threat given that European teams made up three of four semifinalists at this year’s World Cup. CONCACAF, which co-hosted this year’s tournament across the US, Canada and Mexico, said its members unanimously rejected the plan and expressed frustration at not being consulted beforehand. The Asian Football Confederation then sided with UEFA and CONCACAF, a move that effectively ended any realistic path to approval since the plan needed backing from a majority of FIFA’s 211 member associations to pass.
Did anyone inside FIFA push back
Yes. Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned over the proposal, calling it a bad deal for football’s long-term future and stating he had no involvement in developing it. FIFA’s own chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, later said the organization’s administration had been misled about the project, describing it as the effort of one person rather than a collective decision.
How did political leaders respond
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was among the most vocal critics, arguing the World Cup was never anyone’s to sell and later saying Infantino was the wrong person to lead FIFA. The European Union backed UEFA’s position publicly, praising the confederation for defending the sport’s integrity.
What does this mean for Infantino going forward
The episode leaves Infantino facing real pressure ahead of his expected bid for a fourth term as FIFA president at the organization’s Congress next March. Several confederations that had previously seemed likely to support his re-election unopposed are now facing internal questions about that backing. Infantino has said his focus going forward is on bringing stakeholders back together and continuing to grow the sport, particularly in countries that rely most on FIFA’s support.
What happens next
With the plan formally withdrawn, attention shifts to whether Infantino can repair relationships with the confederations and member associations that opposed him so publicly. Candidates for FIFA’s presidency have until November to enter the race for next year’s Congress, and how this controversy affects that contest remains an open question.
