A plan that promised billions for world football has been shelved after fierce opposition from football’s biggest governing bodies, exposing deep divisions within FIFA and raising fresh questions about the future of the sport’s leadership.
FIFA has officially dropped its controversial proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup after facing overwhelming resistance from football associations across the globe, marking a major setback for president Gianni Infantino.
The proposal would have created a new commercial entity known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, with plans to sell a 20% stake to private investors in a deal reportedly valued at about $20 billion. FIFA argued that the investment would unlock billions of dollars for football development and allow larger financial distributions to its 211 member associations.
Instead, the plan sparked a wave of criticism. UEFA led the opposition, warning that allowing outside investors to profit from the World Cup could undermine football’s independence. The Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF later joined the resistance, leaving the proposal without enough international support to move forward.
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The controversy also exposed growing tensions within FIFA itself. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned after criticizing the proposal, while reports suggested several top officials were unhappy with how the plan had been developed and presented.
Facing mounting pressure, Infantino confirmed that FIFA would abandon the proposal, saying preserving unity across world football was more important than pushing ahead with a divisive project.
Although the investment plan has been shelved, the episode has intensified scrutiny of FIFA’s governance and Infantino’s leadership ahead of future elections. The organization now says it will continue exploring other ways to increase funding for football development without bringing private investors into ownership of its flagship competitions.
