Per ESPN. FIFA’s controversial plan to bring private investment into the World Cup is officially off the table.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that the governing body will no longer pursue a proposal that would have created a new commercial subsidiary valued at approximately $20 billion. Under the plan, FIFA would have transferred the commercial rights to its biggest competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups and Club World Cups, into the new entity before selling a 20 percent
stake to private investors.
The proposal quickly became one of the most divisive issues in recent FIFA history. Critics argued that the World Cup is more than a commercial asset and should never be partially owned by outside investors. Opposition came from every direction, including senior FIFA officials, UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation. European nations even threatened to boycott FIFA competitions if the proposal moved forward.
The backlash also reached FIFA’s leadership. Carlos Cordeiro resigned as a presidential adviser in protest, while FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour publicly criticized the process, saying staff had been kept in the dark and deserved greater transparency.
Faced with mounting resistance, Infantino acknowledged that the project had created too much division to continue. He said FIFA’s focus will now shift toward rebuilding consensus and working with member associations to grow the game, particularly in developing football nations.
The episode serves as a reminder that while football continues to evolve as a global business, there are still limits to what the sport’s stakeholders are willing to accept. For many across the game, the World Cup remains more than a financial asset. It is football’s most iconic competition, and one that many believe should remain entirely in FIFA’s hands.
FIFA issued a statement through it social media account on X:
Statement attributable to the FIFA President
The FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed. And more so, as we said from the outset, to do this only if a majority of the FIFA Member Associations were in support and always subject to a consultation process with them, the FIFA Council, the Confederations and wider stakeholders.
Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.
Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve.
As a result, this proposal will not proceed.
Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support.
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