FIFA Forward Enterprise — proposed commercial subsidiary to manage World Cup rights through private investment; scrapped following widespread opposition from UEFA and member associations.
… FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) would have meant creating a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights for all competitions, including World Cups, with 21% sold to an investment company. …
… UEFA opposed the now-abandoned proposal to transfer commercial rights connected to the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup to a new subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), with outside investors taking a stake. …
… Shortly after this summer’s World Cup, Infantino proposed creating a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have sold off stakes in FIFA’s football competitions to private investors. …
… Shortly after this summer’s World Cup, Infantino proposed creating a new company, Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have sold off stakes in Fifa’s football competitions to private investors. …
… he other confederations, or any of the 211 Fifa member associations, Infantino, purportedly acting on behalf of Fifa, publicly announced a plan to place the commercial rights to the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup into a new subsidiary: Fifa Forward Enterprise …
… The 55 member associations, plus Europe’s members on the FIFA Council, will on Thursday be presented with a letter which guarantees the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan will not be revived. …
… Infantino’s scrapped proposal involved creating a new company – FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) – to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all FIFA competitions, with 21% to be sold off to a private investment company. …
… Earlier this month, the world governing body abandoned Infantino’s proposal to create a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all FIFA competitions, with 21% to be sold to a private investment company. …
… FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) was aborted after widespread criticism from several confederations, led by UEFA, which has threatened a boycott of all FIFA competitions. …
UEFA and CONCACAF have written to FIFA president Gianni Infantino calling on FIFA to pay at least $10m from its cash reserves to each of the 211 member associations over the 2027-30 cycle for infrastructure and football development. The demand follows FIFA's scrapping of a private equity proposal after widespread opposition from national associations.
UEFA and CONCACAF have written to FIFA president Gianni Infantino calling on FIFA to pay at least $10m from its cash reserves to each of the 211 member associations over the 2027-30 cycle for infrastructure and football development. The demand follows FIFA's scrapping of a private equity proposal after widespread opposition from national associations.
England's Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt has demanded that FIFA president Gianni Infantino release all documents relating to his cancelled plan to sell a 21% stake in World Cup commercial and ticketing rights to a private investment company. Hewitt's letter, sent before the next FIFA Council meeting on 15 October, also calls for an independent review of the proposal and accuses FIFA of governance failures.
Samuel Eto'o, Cameroon Football Federation president, said African federations should support FIFA President Gianni Infantino, crediting him with accelerating development of continental associations and expanding World Cup participation for African nations. Africa had nine direct places at the 2026 World Cup, compared with five in 2022.
UEFA has filed criminal charges against FIFA president Gianni Infantino over a scrapped plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. UEFA accuses Infantino of "criminal mismanagement," alleging he engineered the scheme to enrich himself and private investors at FIFA's expense.
UEFA has applied for access to evidence and documents for criminal proceedings in Switzerland against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of "criminal mismanagement" over a now-scrapped plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors. UEFA also says it is considering pursuing criminal action against other FIFA officials.
Uefa has filed criminal proceedings in Switzerland against Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Fifa itself over a plan to sell commercial rights to the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. Documents show Uefa alleges Infantino announced the scheme on July 28, 2026, without consulting Fifa's council, other confederations, or member associations.
UEFA has withdrawn its threat to boycott FIFA competitions after securing a guarantee that the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan will not be revived, but will pursue efforts to remove FIFA president Gianni Infantino by supporting a challenger when he stands for re-election in March. UEFA considers the race likely to be close, with 106 of 211 member associations needed for election, and has not abandoned hopes despite deciding against pursuing a no-confidence vote.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled out standing for FIFA president in March 2027, though he expects another candidate to challenge Gianni Infantino following widespread opposition to the latter's now-scrapped plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has called Gianni Infantino's abandoned proposal to sell a 21% stake in FIFA competitions' commercial and ticketing rights to a private company "worse than the Super League", saying football would be "literally sold". UEFA led opposition to the plan, with its members voting to boycott World Cups unless it was scrapped.
Premier League chief Richard Masters has criticised FIFA president Gianni Infantino's now-abandoned plan to create a company managing World Cup commercial and ticketing rights with 21% sold to private investors, calling it a "self-inflicted wound." Masters backed the FA's withdrawal of support for Infantino and called for a new unity candidate for FIFA president.
Josh Kushner and former Disney chief executive Bob Iger are buying the controlling interest in the Los Angeles Lakers for a reported record $12.5bn, less than a year after Mark Walter acquired a majority stake in the NBA franchise.
UEFA has reiterated its loss of confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino and maintained its threat to boycott FIFA competitions, saying that FIFA's public backing of Infantino and the withdrawal of his FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme do not meet the conditions necessary to avert the boycott. UEFA stated it requires both the withdrawal of proposals to sell off major competitions and assurances that such attempts will not be made again.
UEFA says European teams could still boycott competitions including the World Cup, as the governing body maintains its conditions have not been met despite Infantino's scrapped plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors. The English FA has withdrawn support for Infantino, and UEFA says it has lost confidence in his presidency.
The English Football Association is set to withdraw support from Fifa president Gianni Infantino following fallout from his scrapped plans to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investors. The move comes as Uefa threatens legal action and Wales withdraws backing for Infantino's bid to remain Fifa president.
Football administrator Eric Alagidede has opposed FIFA's proposal to sell stakes in World Cup competitions to private investors through a new commercial subsidiary, arguing that excessive commercialization could make the sport unaffordable for ordinary fans and that funds may not be used as intended.
The Confederation of African Football will review FIFA's proposal to establish a commercial subsidiary to manage the World Cup and other flagship tournaments, through which FIFA aims to raise $4.2 billion by selling minority stakes valued at $20 billion. If approved, each of FIFA's 211 member associations would receive a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027 and increased annual development funding from $8 million to $20 million per association, though the plan has faced opposition from UEFA and European officials over commercialisation concerns.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino's senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned after the Asian Football Confederation joined European and North/Central American bodies in opposing a plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors. Cordeiro called the proposal "a bad deal for football" that would "mortgage football's future," and the AFC warned the plan lacks the broad consensus needed and risks undermining the unity of the FIFA World Cup.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has offered up to $40 million in funding to member associations that approve selling minority stakes in FIFA's flagship competitions by 19 September, with funds coming from the sale of a stake in a commercial subsidiary expected to generate $10 billion. The proposal has sparked opposition from football bodies in Europe, Asia and North America over concerns about lack of transparency and proper consultation.
FIFA plans to secure up to $4.2bn in private investment by October for a new World Cup spinoff subsidiary (FIFA Forward Enterprise), even as President Infantino claims a consultation process has only just begun. The move has drawn criticism from UEFA and others, who say the rushed process lacks consultation with football associations and crosses a line by partly selling off the governing body's revenue-generating operations.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has written to all 211 member associations offering $40m in exchange for backing his plan to sell stakes in major competitions like the World Cup through a new commercial subsidiary. The plan, which could raise $10bn and has drawn quick condemnation from multiple regions, sets a 19 September deadline for nations to accept and receive an initial $20m.
Fifa plans to invite third-party investment in a subsidiary called Fifa Forward Enterprise to expand football development funding to more than $10bn, a proposal criticised by Uefa and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The plan requires approval from Fifa's 211 member nations and would see American venture capital firm Thrive Eternal lead the investor group.