FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced July 31, 2026, that the organization has scrapped its proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup.
The decision marks a significant retreat for the governing body, as the plan threatened to shift the control of the sport's most prestigious tournament toward private investors.
The initiative, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, sought to sell a stake in the tournament for $20 billion [1]. The proposal aimed to bring in private capital to expand the commercial reach of the event, but it faced immediate and severe opposition from the global football community.
Backlash came from various football associations and included threats of a boycott from European nations. Internal divisions within the organization further complicated the implementation of the plan, making the project untenable for the leadership.
"We have decided to scrap the plan to sell a stake in the World Cup," Infantino said [2].
Infantino acknowledged that the proposal had caused significant friction within the sport. He said that the internal conflict outweighed the potential benefits of the private investment.
"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 game," Infantino said [3].
The reversal comes after several weeks of tension between FIFA and its member associations over the commercialization of the tournament. The president said that the specific proposal to privatize a portion of the World Cup will not proceed [4].
“"We have decided to scrap the plan to sell a stake in the World Cup,"”
The abandonment of the FIFA Forward Enterprise project reflects the limits of commercialization within global sports governance. By attempting to introduce private equity into the World Cup's ownership structure, FIFA risked a fundamental break with European powerhouses and national associations. This retreat suggests that while FIFA seeks new revenue streams, the political risk of alienating its member associations remains the primary constraint on its financial strategy.
