FIFA announced today its intention to raise up to 4.2 billion dollars by selling World Cup stakes to private investors, a plan rejected by UEFA, which warns that “football is not for sale.”
In a statement, the organization that governs world football says its intention is to increase funding for football development to more than 10 billion dollars in the coming years, through a new commercial structure whose creation depends on approval from a majority of the 211 member federations and the organization’s Council.
According to the body led by Gianni Infantino, the proposal involves creating the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a subsidiary wholly owned by FIFA that will bring together the entity’s commercial rights.
Through this structure, FIFA intends to raise up to 4.2 billion dollars from private investors, through the sale of minority, non-controlling stakes in the FFE, initially valued at 20 billion dollars.
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According to FIFA, the operation will allow it to strengthen the FIFA Forward program, increasing development funding per federation from the current 8 million dollars to 20 million dollars in the 2027-2030 cycle, rising to 22 million between 2031 and 2034 and to 24 million between 2035 and 2038.
The proposal also includes the creation of the FIFA Fast-Forward program, which will voluntarily provide up to an additional 20 million dollars per federation for special projects, such as stadiums, training centers and other infrastructure.
FIFA insists it will retain exclusive control over football governance, competitions, the international calendar and all regulatory and sporting decisions, arguing that investors will hold only minority stakes, with no operational role. According to the British newspaper The Times, FIFA’s intention is to sell stakes in the commercial rights of the World Cups to private investors through the new subsidiary, with Infantino as commissioner.
In that operation, world football’s governing body would remain the majority shareholder, with a privatization of between 20 and 30% of the capital of tournaments organized by FIFA.
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To carry out the project, FIFA is working with the bank J.P. Morgan, with Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner — brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of American President Donald Trump — among the potential investors, with Trump’s administration reportedly already having been consulted about this plan.
In response, UEFA came out firmly against the proposal, considering that it “crosses a line that the institutions governing football should never cross.”
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to be traded, especially without any transparency about who benefits financially. None of us owns football. It doesn’t belong to FIFA to sell,” the European confederation stated, in a statement released after The Times report.
The relationship between Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump during the 2026 World Cup is under scrutiny in the United States, with Democrat Jamie Raskin, of the House Judiciary Committee, formally requesting clarification about the closeness between FIFA and the American administration.
Read more: Trump confirms requesting FIFA re-evaluation of Balogun red card (with video)
Democrats are investigating alleged special favors obtained by FIFA from the U.S. president in exchange for actions such as renting space in Trump Tower and awarding a prize to the head of state, in a process that also involves accusations of fraudulent ticketing practices.
For the first time in a World Cup, a dynamic pricing system based on demand was introduced, which generated inflated prices. FIFA is also accused of placing fans in different sections than the ones they purchased, practices that are now being investigated by the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey.
