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🇫🇷 France /Sports

Selling the World Cup: Trump, Infantino, and Europe's Boycott of FIFA's Plan

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • FIFA plans to create a commercial company to sell stakes in the World Cup, potentially raising $4 billion.
  • The proposal aims to provide immediate financial gains to FIFA's 211 member federations.
  • The plan has faced significant opposition, particularly from European football bodies.

FIFA is moving forward with a controversial plan to establish a commercial entity, tentatively named 'Fifa Forward Entreprise' (FFE), aimed at selling minority stakes to long-term investors. This initiative could generate nearly $4 billion, with up to 20% of the FFE's shares being offered for sale. FIFA asserts it would retain exclusive control over the company and all aspects of football governance, including competitions, the match calendar, and regulatory decisions.

The proposed venture promises substantial immediate financial benefits for FIFA's 211 member federations. Each federation is slated to receive $20 million upfront, with additional funds of $20 million, $22 million, and $24 million budgeted for subsequent cycles through 2038. This financial injection is intended to boost development and operations within national football associations.

FIFA would retain exclusive control of the FFE as well as exclusive authority over the governance of football, competitions, the match calendar and all regulatory and sporting decisions.

— FIFAAssurance of continued control despite private investment

However, the plan has ignited widespread criticism, particularly from European football organizations. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who previously expressed a desire to "unlock FIFA's commercial potential," is pushing this strategy. Despite FIFA's assurances of control, the move to involve private investors in World Cup commercial rights has raised concerns about the commercialization of the sport.

European football bodies, along with their counterparts in North and Central America (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC), have voiced opposition to the proposal. This resistance highlights a significant divide in how the future commercial strategy of global football should be managed, with European officials emphasizing the need to protect the sport's integrity and governance structures from excessive commercial influence.

Gianni Infantino had already brandished, before the final of the 2026 World Cup ten days earlier, his desire to 'unlock FIFA's commercial potential'.

— Le FigaroInfantino's long-standing ambition for commercial growth
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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