FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell part of the World Cup to private investors — Football Forward Enterprise or FFE — has become a major story in the football world, causing uproar and public statements from confederations including UEFA, CONCACAF, and Asia (AFC) as well as the resignation of a former U.S. Soccer president.
Almost as quickly as it arrived, it is gone — Infantino acknowledged late Friday that FFE “created divisions of a nature that are no longer in the interest of the objective,” as part of a statement saying the project “will not proceed.”
Infantino had initially promoted the project as “a golden opportunity to greatly increase the development of football around the world” that would fund infrastructure and national team building for every FIFA member, with FIFA funding going from $8 million per nation to $20 million.
An initial report from The Times’ Martyn Ziegler cited sources who claimed, “potential investors have talked internally about ‘buying FIFA’.”
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UEFA was the first to protest the idea, releasing a statement announcing a unanimous 55-0 vote against backing it and labeling the project “a proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.”
CONCACAF followed suit with a statement noting serious concerns, and AFC said it “stands in solidarity” with Europe and CONCACAF.
The 56-year-old Infantino is proposing that FIFA would move its “commercial and operational event delivery activities into a subsidiary organization that FIFA would own and control permanently.”
That language came in an overnight release from FIFA that sought to fix “erroneous reporting in the media.”
“Nobody is selling football,” FIFA said. “This is not something FIFA would ever entertain.”
Gianni Infantino’s World Cup FFE controversy — a timeline
July 28, 2026 — The Associated Press reports Infantino’s plan to “create a $20 billion company running the World Cup with private investors including the Kushner family was announced Tuesday.”
The Times’ Martyn Ziegler’s reporting indicated the U.S. president Donald Trump’s administration was consulted on the plan, whose proposed investor group would be led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — the United States Special Envoy For Peace Missions. Ziegler reported that the plan would also put Infantino in charge of that company once his FIFA presidential term expires in 2031.
July 28, 2026 - UEFA issue statement blasting idea, declaring that “the soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
July 30, 2026 — UEFA vote 55-0 to boycott all FIFA competitions including the World Cups in protest of Infantino’s plan.
July 30, 2026 — CONCACAF issues a statement describing a meeting of its 41 members in which,"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. 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. The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance.”
July 30, 2026 — FIFA sends out a late Thursday night statement in which it “acknowledges and respects feedback and concern aired in public” and claims that “erroneous reporting in the media disrupted a planned consultation process.”
July 31, 2026 — Asia joins the fray with a statement in line with CONCACAF and UEFA.
“The AFC stands in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF in expressing serious concerns over FIFA’s proposal to introduce private investment into FIFA’s flagship competitions and the decision-making process around FFE. The fact that the situation has reached the point where the real possibility of a FIFA World Cup boycott has entered public discourse should concern everyone who cares about the future of our game. Football should never have been placed in such a position.”
July 31, 2026 — Former US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro steps down as Infantino’s senior advisor.
“Let me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” said Cordeiro.
July 31, 2026 — Infantino sends out a statement acknowledging that the project “will not proceed” through the wake of its controversy.
