FIFA president Gianni Infantino has scrapped a contentious proposal that would have handed a 20 percent slice of future World Cup earnings to private investors, a move that sparked a firestorm across the global soccer community.
The scheme, first floated in early 2026, envisioned creating a new commercial arm called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to oversee broadcasting, sponsorship and hospitality rights, with the aim of raising roughly $4.2 billion through equity sales.
Under the plan each of FIFA’s 211 member federations would have received an initial $20 million payment, double the current $10 million allocation, with the possibility of growth to $24 million by 2038, a financial boost that many national bodies had eagerly anticipated.
European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, responded swiftly, threatening to boycott all FIFA tournaments unless Infantino abandoned the arrangement, citing fears that private interests could dictate tournament schedules and revenue distribution.
The backlash was not limited to Europe; senior FIFA officials, including chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, publicly criticized the deal, and veteran adviser Carlos Cordeiro labeled it a “bad deal” before stepping down.
Even political figures got involved, with former U.S. president Donald Trump weighing in, while the Kushner family’s investment vehicle Thrive Eternal, led by Joshua Kushner, was identified as one of the potential backers.
The proposal’s collapse has thrown Infantino’s bid for re‑election into uncertainty, especially as opposition grows in traditionally supportive regions such as Africa and South America.
South American confederation CONMEBOL said it would evaluate the offer “with the rigor it demands,” while Infantino continues to push an expanded 2030 World Cup that would feature 64 teams, a plan that could benefit co‑hosts Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The financial backdrop to the dispute is stark: FIFA’s record $15 billion revenue from the 2023‑26 World Cup cycle funded the existing $10 million annual grants, a figure that the abandoned plan sought to double.
Member federations had until September 19, 2026 to vote on the arrangement, a deadline that now appears moot as the proposal unravels.