FIFA Abandons Private Investment Plan for World Cup After Global Backlash

FIFA has abandoned its controversial proposal to allow private investment in the FIFA World Cup following widespread opposition from football confederations, national associations and senior officials.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on Saturday that the proposal would not proceed after days of mounting criticism, saying the plan had created divisions that were no longer in the best interests of world football.

"Our purpose has always been, and will always be, to unite and improve," Infantino said in a statement. "As a result, this proposal will not proceed."

The governing body had unveiled the proposal earlier this week, outlining plans to establish a commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage competitions including the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Under the proposal, FIFA said private investment could have raised up to US$4.2 billion, based on a valuation of US$20 billion for the new entity. FIFA also said the project would have enabled each of its 211 member associations to receive a one-off payment of US$20 million in early 2027, while increasing funding for the 2027–2030 cycle from US$8 million to US$20 million.

However, the proposal was met with swift resistance from football's regional governing bodies.

UEFA strongly rejected the idea, warning that none of its member associations would participate in FIFA competitions while the proposal remained under consideration.

"The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product," UEFA said. "No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale."

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) also voiced strong opposition.

The AFC said the possibility of a World Cup boycott entering public discussion should concern everyone involved in football.

"The fact that the situation has reached the point where the real possibility of a FIFA World Cup boycott has entered public discourse should concern everyone who cares about the future of our game," the AFC said.

Pressure on FIFA intensified after senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned, describing the proposal as "a bad deal for FIFA's member associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game."

South American football body CONMEBOL also called for greater clarity on the proposal's governance, structure and potential impact.

Explaining the decision to withdraw the proposal, Infantino said FIFA had initially viewed the project as a way to strengthen member associations, but acknowledged that it had become too divisive.

"Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place," he said.

Infantino added that FIFA would now focus on rebuilding consensus within world football.

"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," he said.