FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Friday that world soccer’s governing body had abandoned plans to sell a minority stake in the World Cup’s commercial operations after the proposal triggered widespread opposition from member associations and regional confederations.
FIFA had proposed raising up to $4.2 billion by selling around a 20% stake in a new commercial entity that would manage its flagship competitions, including the World Cup.
The plan, unveiled earlier this week, was met with immediate resistance, led by European soccer governing body UEFA, which threatened to boycott FIFA competitions and accused the organisation of putting the sport’s “soul” up for sale.
“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,” Infantino said in a statement.
“Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
FIFA had maintained that the sale would generate billions of dollars to support football development worldwide and argued that aspects of the proposal had been misrepresented.
Infantino had previously told member associations they would each receive $40 million if the proposal was approved by Sept. 19.
“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 added.
Opposition gathers pace
Resistance intensified throughout the week.
UEFA’s 55 member associations voted unanimously on Thursday to boycott all FIFA competitions unless the proposal was withdrawn, saying the World Cup “cannot be treated as an investment product.”
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) also rejected the proposal, while the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Friday that it stood “in solidarity” with UEFA and CONCACAF.
Together, UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC represent 143 of FIFA’s 211 member associations, comfortably exceeding the majority required for the proposal to pass.
The controversy also exposed divisions within FIFA.
Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned with immediate effect on Friday, calling the proposal “a bad deal for football,” while Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour reportedly criticised the plan internally, describing it as “a project of one person.”
Infantino, who is seeking re-election next year, also faces growing political pressure. North American football chief Victor Montagliani has reportedly emerged as a potential challenger, while British Prime Minister Andy Burnham described Infantino as “the wrong man to lead the organisation.”
Under the proposal, FIFA would have created a $20 billion commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage the World Cup and other competitions.
Investment firm Thrive Eternal, managed by Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner, had been expected to lead the investor group. Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump, whose country co-hosted the 2026 World Cup, said he had not discussed the investment proposal with Infantino.
