FIFA sell World Cup stakes plan draws UEFA backlash
FIFA wants outside investors in a $20bn events subsidiary, but UEFA says the World Cup and football governance are not for sale.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
FIFA has proposed a plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors through a new events subsidiary, drawing a sharp rebuke from UEFA. The proposal would bring outside capital into the commercial structure behind the World Cup and other FIFA competitions, while FIFA says it would keep control.
According to FIFA, the plan announced Tuesday would create FIFA Forward Enterprise, a subsidiary valued at $20bn. FIFA said it would retain a majority stake and offer minority holdings to external investors in an effort to raise up to $4.2bn.
The proposal is not final. FIFA said it must be approved by its 211 member associations before it can proceed.
Why does UEFA oppose FIFA selling World Cup stakes?
UEFA said the proposal “crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross.” The European governing body said football’s “soul and governance” should not be treated as assets for sale and warned that there was “zero transparency” over who would benefit financially.
UEFA urged national associations, leagues, clubs, players, supporters and governments to treat the matter seriously. “None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell,” UEFA said in a statement.
What would FIFA Forward Enterprise do?
FIFA said the new company would run the World Cup and other events. It also said FIFA would retain sole control of the subsidiary, as well as authority over football governance, competitions, match calendars, regulations and sporting decisions.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino framed the plan as a way to spread the sport’s commercial gains beyond its richest areas. In a statement, he said football’s popularity has created “remarkable commercial value” in parts of the game and that FIFA’s role is to support “sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world.”
FIFA said all net benefits from the proposal would be reinvested in football. The governing body has long generated large sums from World Cup-linked broadcast rights, sponsorship and commercial deals.
Who could invest in the World Cup plan?
If the plan is approved, FIFA said the proposed investor group is expected to be led by a vehicle founded by Joshua Kushner. He is the brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to US President Donald Trump’s daughter.
The proposal follows the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which FIFA described as the largest in tournament history with 48 teams. The expanded event has increased attention on how FIFA funds and controls its top competition.
The plan has also drawn criticism outside football administration. United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham wrote on X that the sport does not belong to investors. “The World Cup is not a product,” he said, calling it “the greatest competition in world sport” and saying it was “never anyone’s to sell.”
FIFA and UEFA are now set for a wider fight over the proposal before any member vote. FIFA says the structure would raise money for global development while preserving its control; UEFA says selling a stake in the World Cup’s commercial future would put football’s governance and identity at risk.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.