Just over a week after one of the most celebrated World Cups in recent memory, FIFA and president Gianni Infantino find themselves facing a very different kind of scrutiny.
On Tuesday, the governing body announced plans to create a separate entity, backed by private investors, that would control the commercial and operational rights to some of the sport’s biggest events, including the World Cup itself, CNN reports.
The proposal centers on a new subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would oversee everything from broadcast rights and sponsorships to ticketing, licensing, tournament planning and competition delivery.
FIFA says it would retain sole ownership and control of the entity, which carries an initial equity valuation of $20 billion, while keeping exclusive authority over sporting matters like competition formats, scheduling and regulatory decisions. The organization says all financial benefits from the venture would flow back into global football.
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Central to the plan is a push to bring in private capital, with FIFA aiming to raise $4.2 billion by selling minority, non-controlling stakes to long-term investors. That money would allow FIFA to offer its 211 member associations up to $40 million each, combining an increased development budget for 2027-2030 with an optional upfront payment tied to the private investment.
According to the Associated Press, Infantino has set a September 19 deadline for member associations to accept that optional payment.
Similar arrangements already exist elsewhere in sports, such as Liberty Media’s ownership of Formula One’s commercial rights alongside the FIA’s oversight of racing itself, and private equity has increasingly found its way into leagues like the NFL, NBA, MLB and the PGA Tour. Still, FIFA’s proposal remains just that, a proposal, requiring approval from both the FIFA Council and a majority of member associations before it can move forward.
Much of the backlash stems from how the plan was introduced. News of the proposal first broke through The Times of London before FIFA confirmed it publicly, and several confederations, including CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, have said they were never consulted, with CONCACAF specifically citing a troubling lack of proper process.
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Equal concern surrounds who stands to benefit financially. The lead investor group, Thrive Eternal, is headed by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump.
While a 20% stake may not sound alarming on its own, nothing in FIFA’s announcement guarantees that share will remain capped at that level indefinitely, feeding fears that outside investors could eventually push to expand tournaments, add matches, or otherwise reshape the sport to maximize returns, something Infantino himself has already floated in comments around this year’s World Cup.
Critics warn this could accelerate player workload to unsustainable levels and destabilize the broader footballing ecosystem, including domestic leagues and competitions like the Champions League.
The players’ union FIFPRO Europe said it holds deep concern that the plan risks turning major tournaments into investable assets for private capital, fundamentally altering the incentives shaping the sport.
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UEFA has emerged as the plan’s most vocal critic, arguing the proposed selloff crosses a line football’s governing bodies should never cross, insisting the sport’s soul and governance aren’t assets to be traded, particularly without transparency about who profits. The confederation also pointed to FIFA’s hard deadline for accepting the payout as revealing in itself, and said opposition to the plan continues to grow across the sport.
La Liga president Javier Tebas went further, questioning Infantino’s fitness to lead FIFA at all given the lack of transparency involved. England’s Football Association said it had been completely blindsided by the proposal and remains deeply concerned about the process behind it, while the independent body representing European clubs voiced serious concern of its own.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham publicly declared that football doesn’t belong to investors and that the World Cup was never anyone’s to sell, and EU Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef said the plan would be studied carefully. Fan groups have voiced similarly strong objections.
Not everyone opposes the idea. Czech football federation president David Trunda offered tentative support, saying he sees potential pragmatic benefits for Czech football in working closely with Infantino, while acknowledging more details are still needed. Smaller, less financially resourced federations may ultimately view the promised windfall as too significant to turn down.
