In a rare and swift reversal, FIFA President Gianni Infantino withdrew a proposal to sell a 20% stake in the World Cup to private investors, after a coordinated global uprising from the sport's most powerful governing bodies. The plan, valued at $20 billion and linked to an investment firm connected to the Kushner family, was met with boycott threats from UEFA and rejection from federations across four continents. The episode surfaces deeper questions about the commercialization of sport's most universal gathering — and about who, ultimately, holds the authority to decide what is and is not fo
FIFA scraps World Cup privatization plan after global backlash
The World Cup is not for sale
Mark
Why did FIFA think this plan would work? It seems obvious that member nations would resist selling off the World Cup.
Mimi
Infantino likely believed the financial incentive—doubling funding to member associations—would outweigh ideological objections. But he miscalculated how deeply federations feel about protecting the tournament's integrity.
Mark
Was this really about the money, or was the Kushner connection the real problem?
Mimi
Both. The funding offer was genuine, but the Kushner involvement became a lightning rod. It gave federations a concrete reason to say no, even if their underlying concern was broader—that the World Cup shouldn't be treated as a commercial asset to be sliced up.
Mark
What does this say about Infantino's position now?
Mimi
He's weakened. He's already facing questions about his relationship with Trump, and now he's backed down on a major initiative after his own advisers resigned. The next World Cup is in 2026, hosted in North America. That proximity matters.
Mark
Could he have pushed through if he'd handled it differently?
Mimi
Possibly, if he'd built consensus first instead of announcing a done deal. But the regional federations—UEFA especially—had already drawn a line. Once they threatened boycotts, the math changed entirely.
Mark
What happens to the World Cup's funding now?
Mimi
That's the open question. Member associations still need money. Infantino wanted to solve that through private investment. Now he has to find another way, or accept that some federations will remain underfunded.
The Pulse
- FIFA's plan to sell a fifth of the World Cup to private equity for $4.2 billion ignited an immediate and unified revolt across global soccer.
- UEFA threatened to pull its 55 nations from the World Cup itself, declaring the tournament 'not for sale' and the proposal 'irresponsible and indefensible.'
- CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation joined the resistance, questioning why privatization was necessary after the most profitable World Cup in history.
- A senior FIFA adviser resigned in protest, and the plan's ties to Joshua Kushner — brother of a Trump administration official — deepened suspicions of political entanglement.
- Infantino retreated within days, framing the withdrawal as a matter of unity, though the damage to his credibility and the scrutiny of his leadership remain very much alive.
In a rare and swift reversal, FIFA President Gianni Infantino withdrew a proposal to sell a 20% stake in the World Cup to private investors, after a coordinated global uprising from the sport's most powerful governing bodies. The plan, valued at $20 billion and linked to an investment firm connected to the Kushner family, was met with boycott threats from UEFA and rejection from federations across four continents. The episode surfaces deeper questions about the commercialization of sport's most universal gathering — and about who, ultimately, holds the authority to decide what is and is not for sale.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced Friday evening that the organization was abandoning its plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors, a swift reversal following days of fierce opposition from federations around the world. The proposal, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, would have created a new commercial entity to manage World Cup rights, with FIFA retaining 80% ownership and selling the remaining 20% for an estimated $4.2 billion — part of a scheme valued at $20 billion in total.
The plan became public earlier in the week through a report in The Times, revealing that the investor group was expected to be led by Thrive Capital, owned by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, a senior figure in the Trump administration. Under the arrangement, all 211 FIFA member associations would have seen their funding more than double over each four-year World Cup cycle.
The backlash was immediate. UEFA announced that its 55 member nations had agreed to boycott major competitions, including the World Cup, if the plan moved forward. CONCACAF rejected it outright, questioning the logic of privatization after record profits. The Asian Football Confederation stopped short of full rejection but expressed solidarity with the opposition. One of Infantino's own senior advisers, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned in protest.
Infantino's withdrawal statement acknowledged the divisions the proposal had created, noting that the fractures were no longer in the interest of the goals the plan was meant to serve. The episode arrives amid broader scrutiny of his leadership — including his decision to award Trump a FIFA Peace Prize, and FIFA's unexplained reversal of a red card given to a U.S. player during the 2026 World Cup, just one day before a critical match, following a public appeal from Trump himself.
A source close to Thrive Capital pushed back against suggestions of political entanglement, noting that Joshua Kushner holds no administration role and has donated exclusively to Democratic causes. Still, the association proved combustible enough to help unite a global sport against one of its most ambitious financial experiments.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced Friday evening that the organization was abandoning a plan to sell off a stake of the World Cup to private investors, a reversal that came after days of coordinated opposition from soccer federations across the globe. The proposal, called FIFA Forward Enterprise, would have created a new commercial entity to manage World Cup rights and operations, with FIFA retaining 80% ownership while selling 20% to outside investors for an estimated $4.2 billion. The scheme had been valued at $20 billion overall.
The plan surfaced publicly earlier in the week when the British newspaper The Times reported on Infantino's confidential strategy. Under the arrangement, FIFA member associations—all 211 of them—would have seen their funding increase from $8 million per four-year World Cup cycle to roughly $20 million. The investor group was expected to be led by Thrive Capital, an investment firm owned by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump and serves in the Trump administration.
The backlash was immediate and coordinated. UEFA, the governing body for European soccer with 55 member nations, announced Thursday that its members had agreed to boycott major competitions, including the World Cup itself, if Infantino proceeded. In a statement, UEFA called the plan "irresponsible and indefensible," declaring flatly that "the World Cup is not for sale" and that it cannot be treated as a financial asset. CONCACAF, representing 41 nations in North and Central America and the Caribbean, rejected the proposal on Friday, questioning why private equity was needed when the most recent World Cup had been the most profitable in history. The Asian Football Confederation, while stopping short of an outright rejection, said it stood in solidarity with the other regional bodies in expressing "serious concerns" about privatizing FIFA's flagship competition.
Infantino's statement acknowledged the divisions the proposal had created. "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," he said. He emphasized that the plan had always been conditional on majority support from member associations and consultation with confederations and other stakeholders. Carlos Cordeiro, one of Infantino's senior advisers, resigned in protest, saying he could not remain while FIFA considered selling a stake in the World Cup.
The controversy unfolded against a backdrop of scrutiny over Infantino's relationship with Donald Trump. Last year, Infantino awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. During the 2026 World Cup tournament, Trump publicly asked FIFA to review a red card given to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun in a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. FIFA overturned the suspension just one day before the team's next game against Belgium, an unprecedented move made without detailed explanation. When asked by reporters if FIFA officials or Infantino had spoken to him about the investment plan, Trump said, "No, I never spoke to him."
A source close to Thrive Capital pushed back against suggestions of political entanglement, telling CBS News that criticism of the firm's involvement was unfounded. The source noted that Joshua Kushner has no links to the Trump administration, holds no political roles, and has donated exclusively to Democratic causes. Nonetheless, the mere association with the Kushner family appeared to amplify opposition to the plan among federations already skeptical of privatizing soccer's most prestigious tournament.
Notable Quotes
Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions that are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place— FIFA President Gianni Infantino
The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football's greatest sporting legacies.— UEFA statement
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