FIFA says it's not moving forward with controversial World Cup sell-off plan
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Friday that the international soccer governing body would not be moving forward with a controversial proposal to sell stakes in future competitions to private investors.
"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," the statement continued.
The update comes after the proposal was met with boycotts and a resignation by Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro.
"Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally," Cordeiro said in a statement posted on his official LinkedIn account earlier Friday. "It is a bad deal for FIFA's Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game."
Cordeiro, who had also served as senior adviser to the White House task force for the 2026 World Cup, said FIFA "already has access to extraordinary final resources," claiming the plan is "mortgaging football's future without any compelling justification."
His resignation came after UEFA's 55 member associations in Europe voted on Thursday to boycott the World Cup if FIFA continues with the plan.
UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, said the decision was made at an emergency meeting on Thursday.
CONCACAF, the group that runs the sport in North America, Central America and parts of South America, also said it would reject the proposal after its members met Thursday afternoon.
UEFA made its opposition very clear in a statement, stating "the World Cup is not for sale."
"As a result of today’s discussion, no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership," the statement says.
The boycott would cover all FIFA competitions, including the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Club.
The Women's World Cup playoffs are due to be held this October.
CONCACAF said Thursday its members had "deep concerns" about the plan.
"During the meeting, the membership expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies," a statement from the federation said. "In addition, the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA Forward programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was questioned."
In a statement Thursday, FIFA said "erroneous reporting" on the matter had disrupted the planned consultation process, saying the process would continue to "ensure that each [member association] has the ability to express its vote based on facts."
"Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain," FIFA added.
U.S. Soccer, which is a member of CONCACAF, said in a post on X Thursday that it was standing with the confederation and its members in opposition to FIFA's plan.
In a statement July 28 announcing its plan, FIFA said investors would be selected against "clear long-term, governance, and strategic criteria" and they would "represent a geographically diversified group that reflects the global nature of the game."
FIFA said the process would be achieved through a new subsidiary, the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would consolidate its commercial and event operations.
"As its global governing body, FIFA is responsible for making sure the game reaches every corner of the world, and that the value it creates supports federations and communities everywhere," Infantino said in a statement at the time. "Our next stage of growth needs a structure built for it, one where the commercial side of the game operates as a focused, dedicated business, with its value shared more and better all around the world."
On Friday, in his statement announcing the proposal would not move forward, FIFA's president said he plans 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."
