During the 2026 World Cup, FIFA commercialized and Americanized the tournament, which had already frustrated several fans. Now FIFA has gone a step further, and this time, virtually everyone outside FIFA is unhappy with the news.
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“FIFA confirms highly controversial plans to form FIFA Forward Enterprise… It requires private stakeholders and funding. UEFA are strongly opposed, viewing it as FIFA President Gianni Infantino selling stakes in the game… FIFA will seek to raise capital of up to USD 4.2 billion,” reported Ben Jacobs.
Just days after staging the biggest World Cup in history, filled with its own debates, FIFA hasn’t wasted any time starting another one. This time, the focus has shifted from soccer to the game’s commercial future.
FIFA wants to set up a new company called FIFA Forward Enterprise, valued at $20 billion, and plans to sell off 20-21% of it to outside investors. That would bring in up to $4.2 billion for football development, while FIFA stays the majority owner.
Infantino says FFE would take over commercial operations across the men’s, women’s, and Club World Cups, things like broadcasting rights, sponsorships, ticketing, and licensing. FIFA has been clear that governance, competitions, match calendars, regulations, and sporting decisions all stay fully in its hands.
Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Eternal, a company formed just this past April with ties to the extended family of President Donald Trump, is expected to lead the investor group, with J.P. Morgan working alongside FIFA as a strategic partner.
The Times of London has separately reported that Infantino could go on to serve as “commissioner” or chief executive of FFE once his FIFA presidency term-limits out in 2031, though Infantino has told the paper the idea “has never been discussed,” and FIFA’s own statement doesn’t address his future role at all.
That said, FIFA reportedly consulted the Trump administration on the plans, adding to existing scrutiny of Infantino’s relationship with the U.S. president, whom FIFA awarded its inaugural “Peace Prize” last December.
The organization believes the proposal could help soccer reach places where its influence has been limited so far, which is why it has paired FFE with the FIFA Fast-Forward Program for all 211 member associations. Each could receive up to $20 million, rising to $22 million and then $24 million in future cycles, totaling as much as $86 million per association over 12 years, a sharp increase from the $8 million currently promised per cycle.
UEFA wasted no time pushing back: “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross… None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, also pushed back, writing on X: “The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell… Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.”
UEFA is now moving to hold an emergency meeting of all 55 member associations this week, with a potential World Cup boycott reportedly among the options being discussed.
