Gianni Infantino trying to rush through 64-team World Cup in last-ditch attempt to win votes to sell off tournament

FIFA have proposed a major change to the World Cup format as part of the plot to sell it. President Gianni Infantino has managed to anger the majority of the football world with his plan to recruit private investment. Fifa have proposed to expand the World Cup yet again Credit: Reuters Gianni Infantino is trying to push through the proposal Credit: AFP Fifa were hoping to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors in order to raise $4.2billion (£3.1bn) of funding by October. However, football federations such as Uefa, Concacaf and the AFC have all hit out at the idea. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! The 55 nations in Uefa have all vowed to boycott the next Fifa tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. But the next men’s World Cup in 2030 could have a much different look should Infantino get his way. READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP The proposal would see the number of nations competing in the tournament increase yet again. The 2026 edition was the first to feature 48 teams up from the 32 that had competed since 1998. The tournament in four years’ time would then have a further 16 teams, taking the total number to 64 participating national sides. Fifa issued a brief on Thursday that suggested the further expansion of the World Cup. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Fifa's £15bn World Cup sell out FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell of shares in the World Cup has triggered an unprecedented civil war in world football The battle lines are drawn – between a unified Western front threatening a total boycott and smaller nations enticed by Infantino’s promise of £30million per country if they accept his scheme. WHO OPPOSES THE SALE? Opposition to the proposal is massive, swift, and led by the sport’s most powerful confederations, led by Europe. Uefa (Europe): In a historic 55-0 unanimous vote, European football’s governing body resolved to boycott the World Cup and all other Fifa competitions if the plan passes. Concacaf (North/Central America & Caribbean): All 41 member nations unanimously rejected the proposal. AFC (Asian Football Confederation): AFC President Sheikh Salman voiced “great concern and disappointment” over Infantino’s lack of transparency. Political leaders: Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy strongly backed the boycott, declaring football belongs to fans, not billionaire investors. Even disgraced former Fifa President Sepp Blatter also blasted Infantino. WHO SUPPORTS IT? Support for the plan is driven by Infantino’s administration and the promise of massive financial windfalls to individual countries Fifa’s executive leadership: Infantino is aggressively driving the deal, framing it as a “democratic consultation” and a “golden opportunity” to turbocharge global football development. Private investors (The Kushner Family / Thrive Capital): American firm Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner (brother to Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner), leads the billionaire group buying into the World Cup. Wall Street giant JP Morgan is also supporting the venture as Fifa’s financial adviser. Small nations: Infantino’s core support relies on smaller, cash-strapped nations in developing regions who will be tempted by his guarantee of £30m each. Middle Eastern backers: Insiders expect heavy investment interest from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Qatar who both enjoy highly lucrative ties with Infantino’s regime. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? The proposal requires a simple majority (50% plus one) of Fifa’s 211 members to pass on 19 September. Infantino may secure the votes of smaller nations. But pushing the deal through – which values the World Cup at £15billion – without Europe and North America threatens to tear global football apart. A statement in it read: “Fifa is considering the strategic implications of a possible expansion of the Fifa World Cup beyond the current format. “Therefore, Fifa wishes to appoint an independent agency to determine whether and how expanding the FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64 participating national teams, starting with the 2030 edition, would impact on the tournament proposition and on football ecosystem.” The Times claim that the decision to appoint an independent agency would be made by August 14. It would then have four weeks to complete its analysis ahead of a September 19 deadline. Then associations would vote on selling off the World Cup stakes. The South American football governing body CONMEBOL have already proposed an expansion of this nature. In April 2025, it was suggested that the 2030 World Cup would be increased to 64 teams. The tournament is due to be hosted in Morocco, Portugal and Spain with centenary games in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. 55 Uefa nations boycotting Fifa The 55 UEFA member nations backing the FIFA boycott: Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czechia Denmark England Estonia Faroe Islands Finland France Georgia Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Türkiye Ukraine Wales Fifa claim their 211 Member Associations stand to gain $40m (£30m) each if they sign up to the Forward Enterprise proposal. Fifa have also hit back at critics and insisted that “nobody is selling football”. Infantino is being backed by Thrive Eternal, which was founded by Joshua Kushner, who is the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. It is lined up to take over a minority stake in the new venture. Infantino would also be in line for a new job once his presidency at Fifa comes to an end if the plans go ahead. He would take on a role as a commissioner or chief executive and be paid nearly £1MILLION-PER-WEEK. He would boast a total annual salary of £47MILLION. This would match the salary of the NFL commissioner and would represent a big jump from Infantino’s current £4.46m annual pay. Comment now