So, is the World Cup actually up for sale? Well, sort of — and the football world is absolutely fuming about it.

Here’s the gist, as reported by cbinews.tv:

In a move that’s sent shockwaves through the game, FIFA has confirmed it wants to flog a minority stake in the business side of the World Cup and its other competitions.

The plan is to create a new semi-private subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE. FIFA says it will keep the majority share and stay in full control, but it’s hoping to raise a cool $4.2 billion later this year by bringing in what it calls “carefully selected long-term investors” to buy minority, non-controlling interests.

According to cbinews.tv, the statement from FIFA came as a rapid response after The Times and The Financial Times leaked the plan from two separate sources.

And the leaks are spicy.

The Times claimed that FIFA president Gianni Infantino, 56, could personally profit from the scheme by becoming commissioner of the FFE once his term ends in 2031 — something FIFA has flatly denied was ever discussed.

The same report says talks have already started with financial advisers and potential investors. Names floating around include Thrive Capital, the investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner — brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — and an arm of JP Morgan Chase, the very bank that tried to finance the doomed European Super League.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter didn’t hold back. He posted: “The close relationship between the FIFA President and the US President has reached a financial dimension that is deeply damaging football. No one has the right to sell our game.”

UEFA was just as blunt. In a statement cited by cbinews.tv, it said: “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross... The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”

So, what is FIFA actually saying?

The governing body insists it “would retain sole control of FFE and exclusive authority over football governance, competitions, match calendar, and all regulatory and sporting decisions” and believes the new entity would have an initial equity valuation of $20 billion.

There’s a sweetener for members, too. Each of FIFA’s 211 member associations would be offered a one-off chance to buy a $20 million stake in FFE. That’s only 0.1 per cent, but for smaller nations, that’s huge money. FIFA says together with its other programmes, this could push total development funding to over $10 billion in the next four years.

Not everyone is buying it. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a self-confessed Everton fan, wrote on X: “Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine. The World Cup is not a product... Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.”

And there’s more context here. As cbinews.tv notes, this isn’t the first time something like this has been floated. Back in 2019, a stakeholders’ committee rejected a $25 billion private investment plan for an expanded Club World Cup backed by Infantino. That competition did eventually expand from seven to 32 teams in 2025.

FIFA still needs approval from its 38-member council and a majority of member associations. It says it will present the plans soon.

One senior football figure told The Times the idea is “potentially much worse than the European Super League” and could lead to pressure to expand both the World Cup and Club World Cup even further or play them more often than every four years.

For context, FIFA had already forecast record revenues of over seven billion euros for 2026 — the first 48-team World Cup. Infantino has even floated expanding to 64 teams for 2030.

And if you’ve got a long memory, you’ll remember FIFA got its fingers badly burnt before when its marketing partner ISL collapsed in 2001, costing it anywhere between $30m and $115m.

Is this clever business or selling football’s soul? We’ll have to wait for that council vote.

Story via cbinews.tv

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