Football

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the rear-view mirror, FIFA wasted no time looking forward to the next four-year cycle, with an eye to the 2030 tournament in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino sparked widespread outrage with the announcement that the Swiss-based non-profit would be creating a new commercial enterprise in the hopes of securing outside investment to financially benefit the organization’s member associations around the world.

The world football governing body tried to spin the new commercial vehicle, dubbed FIFA Forward Enterprise, as a huge driver of cash to be distributed across member nations all across the globe. However, critics immediately spotted what they believed to be clear indications that this new venture would instead be one massive scheme to funnel money into the hands of the rich and powerful, a plan rife with potential corruption.

The Sporting News looks at how the enterprise will work, what the most vocal responses have been, and what the next steps are for it to either sink or swim amidst an impending FIFA congress vote.

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FIFA World Cup sale plan: What we know so far

FIFA is not selling the World Cup in its most basic terms, but it is selling a «significant minority stake» to investors via a proposed new commercial enterprise, which will have direct access to the inner workings of football’s most famous and globally recognised tournament.

This commercial vehicle will be known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), created by FIFA as a «controlled subsidiary consolidating FIFA’s commercial and event operations» according to the governing body’s official release.

The investment vehicle, first revealed in reports by Martyn Ziegler of The Times and in the Financial Times and shortly thereafter confirmed by FIFA, has many fans and entities fearful of the direction in which the game of football is heading.

According to Ziegler’s report, the stake to be sold will be around 20%, with investors including banking titans JP Morgan, tech investor Joshua Kushner, and others. The entity will be valued at around $20 billion.

According to FIFA’s release on the topic, FFE could generate an incredible amount of money for the member institutions. They claim it would provide $20 million per member association in immediate funding, plus another $20 million per member for the coming World Cup cycle, with the potential for even more revenue growth. As a designated non-profit organisation, FIFA passes profits to its member associations.

A BBC report on July 29 corroborated the claim of the combined $40 million to each of FIFA’s 211 members and added that Infantino has set a September 19 deadline for federations to accept his plans. In a five-page letter sent to FIFA members, federations were told the initial $20 million will be available from January 1, 2027 if they respond positively by the September deadline.

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How the soccer world reacted to Infantino’s investment plan

UEFA’s reaction to the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan has been swift, all-encompassing, and aggressive. The European governing body accused FIFA of taking steps to «enrich themselves and their friends» by formulating a plan to «sell the soul» of the sport.

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However, initially, the confederation was not fully united. Czechia announced they would support the plan, with each member association given exactly one vote in all regardless of size or influence.

Yet after emergency meetings on July 30, UEFA confirmed their stance the following day by stating they have agreed to boycott both the men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments if FIFA go ahead with their plan, with the entire federation united as one.

New British prime minister Andy Burnham echoed UEFA’s angry statement, saying that «the World Cup is not a product» and was «never anyone’s to sell.»

CONCACAF released a statement to The Guardian which expressed their «disappointment» in the plan, and their lack of contribution to its inception, but came well short of UEFA’s harsh verbal aggression.

What will happen next in FIFA’s World Cup sale plan?

FIFA has instituted a September 19 deadline for member associations to respond either positively or negatively to Gianni Infantino’s proposal.

Infantino has dressed this up as a deadline for applications, guaranteeing that any associations that respond positively by this deadline will guarantee their full share of the payout, including an initial $20 million «optional» up-front dispersal. Those that do not, however, will not have access to this payout.

It will now be up to member nations to either comply or fight what amounts to a thinly veiled financial incentive to agree to the proposal.

UEFA has planned emergency meetings to discuss a way forward in their efforts to combat this plan, where they confirmed their desire to stand together and boycott the World Cup. The European governing body has been by far the most outspoken entity against the FIFA Forward Enterprise, hoping to set the tone and example for others to follow.

It’s unclear if any other associations or confederations will meet to discussion action. CONCACAF’s statement did not indicate any imminent meeting or other action step in the wake of the announcement. However, CONCACAF have confirmed they would be holding an emergency meeting to discuss their stance after UEFA’s statement of intent.

CONMEBOL, AFC, CAF, and OFC have not yet made their intentions known.

When the plan is finally up for vote on the floor of the FIFA congress, it’s unclear how the statutes will be interpreted. FIFA’s initial release of the FFE plan strongly suggested that a simple majority of associations would be needed to pass the action, but The Guardian says that sources have suggested there is a push to require a much more difficult 75% vote to enact the plan, potentially requiring an amendment to the organization’s statutes.

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