Infantino's FIFA drops $4.2B World Cup sell-off plan after revolt

FIFA has abandoned its controversial plan to sell a minority stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup after fierce opposition from regional football confederations exposed deep divisions within the sport and intensified scrutiny of President Gianni Infantino's leadership ahead of his expected bid for another term. The governing body confirmed Friday that it would not move forward with the proposal after just four days of mounting resistance from football authorities around the world, marking one of the most significant policy reversals of Infantino's presidency. The plan, unveiled Tuesday, sought to raise as much as $4.2 billion by selling roughly a 20% stake in a newly created commercial entity that would oversee FIFA's biggest tournaments, including the World Cup. FIFA argued the investment would generate billions of dollars for football development programs worldwide. Instead, the proposal triggered an extraordinary backlash. Regional confederations accused FIFA of failing to properly consult its members before announcing a move that many believed would fundamentally reshape the commercial future of world football. Critics warned the governing body was placing one of sport's most valuable assets into private hands. After days of escalating criticism, Infantino acknowledged the proposal had become too divisive. "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." Infantino added that FIFA would instead seek to rebuild consensus with its stakeholders. "My intent is 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." Confederations unite against FIFA Opposition to the proposal gathered remarkable speed. UEFA, European football's governing body, led the resistance, accusing FIFA of putting the "soul" of football up for sale. On Thursday, all 55 UEFA member associations unanimously voted to boycott FIFA competitions unless the proposal was withdrawn, declaring that the World Cup "cannot be treated as an investment product." The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), representing 41 national associations, also rejected the proposal during meetings on Thursday. By Friday, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which has 47 member associations, publicly aligned itself with UEFA and CONCACAF. Together, the three confederations account for 143 of FIFA's 211 member associations, comfortably more than the majority needed to block the proposal. The backlash also exposed growing frustration over FIFA's decision-making process. On Saturday, AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa welcomed FIFA's decision to withdraw the plan but stressed that any proposal capable of reshaping world football must involve broader consultation. He said initiatives with significant consequences should be presented to confederations, the FIFA Council, member associations and other stakeholders in a "timely, transparent and meaningful manner." "The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game," Sheikh Salman said. Football Australia chairman Anter Isaac echoed those concerns, saying innovation should never come at the expense of football's governing principles. "Football has never stood still, nor should it," Isaac said. "Some principles, however, should never change. Integrity. Independence. Good governance. Transparency. Meaningful consultation. Due process." "These are not constraints on progress. They are what make lasting progress possible." Internal revolt deepens crisis The controversy also exposed divisions inside FIFA itself. Carlos Cordeiro, one of Infantino's senior advisers, resigned Friday with immediate effect, describing the proposal as "a bad deal for football." FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour also reportedly criticized the project internally, telling staff they had been misled and characterizing the proposal as "a project of one person." The internal criticism came as FIFA defended the proposal, insisting it had been designed to generate long-term funding for global football development and accusing some media outlets of misrepresenting its intentions. Infantino had previously written to FIFA's member associations promising each federation up to $40 million if the proposal received approval before the Sept. 19 deadline. Political pressure grows on Infantino The failed initiative has raised fresh questions about Infantino's political standing as he prepares to seek a fourth term as FIFA president. Since replacing Sepp Blatter in 2016, Infantino has twice secured re-election without opposition and has maintained firm control over the organization. His next campaign, covering the 2027-31 cycle, had widely been viewed as a formality. That assumption now appears less certain. North American football chief Victor Montagliani is reportedly considering challenging Infantino in next year's election, while British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the FIFA president was "the wrong man to lead the organization." Sports marketing analyst Bob Dorfman said the controversy had highlighted frustrations that had been building among FIFA's membership. "He's obviously been kind of egomaniacal in everything that he's done," Dorfman said. "I know that he's rubbed many of the member associations the wrong way with some of his decisions. Some of the countries that have been awarded World Cups have been kind of questionable. Politics has gotten involved in this a little too much." Sports economist Victor Matheson of the College of the Holy Cross said the speed of Infantino's political decline had been remarkable. "It's hard to think of a situation where a person's political fortunes changed so rapidly," Matheson said. "As close as two weeks ago, he was on top of the world after the most commercially successful World Cup in history. Just two weeks later, he's fighting for his political life." The abandoned proposal would have created a new $20 billion commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise to manage the World Cup and FIFA's other major tournaments. Investment firm Thrive Eternal, managed by Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner, had been expected to lead the private investor group. The controversy also renewed attention on Infantino's close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration supported the recently concluded 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Trump said he had not discussed FIFA's investment proposal with Infantino.