CAF to Review FIFA's $20bn World Cup Sale Plan
Last update: July 30, 2026
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Is FIFA about to sell a slice of the World Cup? Africa’s football body wants to take a closer look before giving it the green light.
There is a major talking point in world football right now, and it is all about money and ownership.
The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has urged its member associations to carefully review FIFA’s controversial plan to bring private investors into its biggest competitions, including the FIFA World Cup.
In a statement released late on Wednesday, CAF confirmed that its President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, will convene a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee next week to assess and evaluate the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative.
The reaction comes just a day after FIFA announced on Tuesday that it intends to create a new commercial subsidiary to manage its flagship tournaments such as the World Cup and the Club World Cup.
Under the proposal, private investors would be allowed to buy stakes in the new company, although they would remain minority shareholders. FIFA says the move could raise up to $4.2 billion, based on a $20 billion valuation for the entity.
And what is in it for member associations? If the project is approved, FIFA says each of its 211 member associations could receive a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, with their funding for the 2027-2030 cycle rising from $8 million to $20 million.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the initiative on Wednesday as a “golden opportunity to turbocharge the development of the game globally.”
Not everyone is convinced, though. The plan has already drawn criticism from UEFA, several top European federations and European Union officials, who see it as further commercialisation of the game and have flagged potential conflicts of interest.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation, AFC, have also raised concerns that the proposal was made public before all 211 member associations were properly consulted.
CAF says it remains “committed to continue consulting and together with its member associations… in support of increasing financial and other resources for the development and growth of football in Africa and worldwide.”
Credit: cbinews.tv
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