FIFA drops $20 billion World Cup private equity plan after worldwide backlash
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has abandoned a controversial proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup's commercial profits to private investors, following an intense backlash from football federations across the globe. The decision, announced on Friday (July 31, 2026), marks a rare reversal for the world football governing body.
The proposal, revealed earlier in the week, sought to create a $20 billion company to manage the World Cup in partnership with private equity investors, including a consortium linked to the Kushner family. Mr. Infantino said the plan was designed to maximise revenue and grow the sport, but it quickly drew united opposition from within the football community.
In his statement, Mr. Infantino said: "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. Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed."
The withdrawal came after UEFA, the governing body for European football, threatened that its 55 member nations would boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions. CONCACAF, which oversees North and Central America, and the Asian Football Confederation also publicly opposed the plan. This rare alignment across continents left FIFA with little room to proceed.
UEFA issued a pointed statement: "Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale."
The plan also triggered a high-profile resignation. Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker and senior adviser to Mr. Infantino who represented FIFA on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, stepped down on Friday. In his resignation statement, Mr. Cordeiro said: "I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup." He urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out against the proposal. Just hours before the resignation, FIFA had insisted: "Nobody is selling football."
Analysts noted that the proposal's collapse reflects a broader tension between FIFA's commercial ambitions and the sport's traditional governance structures. The World Cup is FIFA's most valuable asset, generating billions in revenue from broadcast deals and sponsorships. Selling a stake to outside investors would have been a significant structural shift, potentially giving private equity influence over decisions that affect fans, players, and national associations.
The involvement of the Kushner family, linked to former U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, had also drawn criticism. Critics questioned the ethics and transparency of the arrangement, given FIFA's history of governance scandals. While no evidence of wrongdoing has been presented, the optics of a private family office gaining access to World Cup profits were widely seen as problematic.
The decision to abandon the plan is a victory for the football community, which had mobilised swiftly to protect the sport from commercial overreach. However, questions remain about how FIFA intends to meet its revenue targets and fund development programmes. Mr. Infantino reiterated that FIFA would continue its existing efforts to promote the game globally, but he offered no alternative plan.
The episode has also strengthened the influence of continental confederations, particularly UEFA, which demonstrated its willingness to confront FIFA leadership. Whether this unity can be sustained in the face of future proposals remains to be seen. For now, the World Cup stays in the hands of football's governing bodies, not private investors.
