FIFA plan to sell World Cup stakes draws backlash

FIFA’s plan to bring private investors into a new company controlling the commercial rights to the World Cup has drawn sharp criticism from major regional football bodies, with Concacaf joining UEFA in warning that the proposal lacks transparency and proper governance.

The global soccer body said Tuesday it intends to create a separate company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, to handle commercial decisions for the men’s and women’s World Cups and the recently introduced Club World Cup. Those decisions would include broadcasting and commercial rights. FIFA said it would remain the sport’s governing body and keep control of sporting decisions.

In an unprecedented move for the Swiss-based nonprofit organization, FIFA said it would seek minority investors in the new venture, effectively selling partial stakes tied to its biggest tournaments. The plan is intended to raise up to $4.2 billion, with FIFA saying a large share would be distributed among its 211 member associations.

“Football is the world’s most popular sport and an extraordinary engine of human and social development,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in the statement. “Parts of the game have turned that popularity into remarkable commercial value – and we celebrate that success and want it to continue, because it lifts the whole game. Our job is to make sure the rest of football grows with it: FIFA exists to support sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world.”

FIFA said it plans to work with Thrive Eternal, a “permanent capital holding company” led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. FIFA also hired J.P. Morgan as an adviser. The Guardian reported that the new entity has been valued at $20 billion and that member associations have been given until Sept. 19 to decide whether to sign up, with an initial payment of about $20 million available from Jan. 1 next year.

Concacaf, the governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean, said it learned of the proposal through media reports and a FIFA release.

“We are deeply concerned by the lack of due process,” Concacaf said in a statement released to The Guardian. “We share the disappointment of many within our region and the game that this level of detail has been designed and shared publicly before any discussion with the relevant governance bodies and stakeholders has taken place.”

The group added: “As leaders within football, we are the custodians of the game. Collectively, Fifa, the Confederations and every Member Association have a responsibility to always act in the best interests of the sport.”

UEFA, which represents European football associations, also condemned the proposal.

“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross,” UEFA said. “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.”

The Guardian reported that UEFA planned emergency talks Wednesday over a coordinated response that could include legal action. It also reported concerns among stakeholders that private investment could increase pressure to expand the World Cup or stage it more often.

The dispute comes as FIFA expects to bring in at least $13 billion from its latest four-year cycle, much of it from the men’s World Cup. The organization has also faced scrutiny over ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup in North America, including from authorities in New York and New Jersey. Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland this week demanded that Infantino appear for an interview about what he called “mounting evidence of corruption and a potential quid pro quo between FIFA and the Trump Administration,” an accusation FIFA has previously strongly denied.