FIFA president Gianni Infantino has abandoned a controversial proposal to allow private investment in the commercial operations of the World Cup following fierce opposition from football officials around the world.
Infantino announced the decision on Saturday, four days after FIFA presented plans to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise, a commercial subsidiary that would oversee competitions including the World Cup and Club World Cup.
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.”
FIFA had said the project could raise as much as $4.2 billion by selling a minority stake in the subsidiary, which was valued at about $20 billion.
Under the proposal, each of FIFA’s 211 member associations could have received a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027.
Their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle would also have increased from $8 million to $20 million.
However, the prospect of private investors gaining influence over commercial rights connected to the World Cup triggered widespread condemnation.
UEFA warned that its national teams would not participate in FIFA competitions while the proposal remained active.
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 and CONCACAF also opposed the plan, raising concerns about its potential effect on football governance and the independence of FIFA competitions.
Pressure on Infantino increased further when senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned on Friday.
Cordeiro described the proposal as a poor deal for FIFA’s member associations and warned that it could damage the long-term future of the sport.
CONMEBOL also requested further information about the project’s structure, governance and possible consequences.
Its intervention was significant because confederation president Alejandro Dominguez has been viewed as a close ally of Infantino.
Infantino said the project had been intended to strengthen FIFA’s member associations and would only have proceeded with majority support.
He acknowledged, however, that the debate had created divisions that were no longer consistent with the proposal’s original purpose.
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,” he said.
The AFC had earlier expressed alarm that discussions had reached the point where a possible World Cup boycott was being publicly considered.
Opposition also extended beyond football, with the European Union supporting UEFA’s position and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham describing Infantino as the wrong person to lead FIFA.
FIFA initially attempted to calm the controversy by insisting that it would continue consulting member associations and that nobody was selling football.
Infantino has now said his priority will be restoring unity and bringing football’s major stakeholders back together.
He also pledged to continue expanding the game and increasing support for countries that require greater financial assistance.
