“FIFA president prepares rapid launch for controversial World Cup plan.”

Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, is facing strong backlash from national associations and players, having prepared a confidential presentation aimed at securing funding for the sale of stakes in the World Cup by October. The proposal to create a subsidiary company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, was publicly announced on July 28, with an immediate valuation of $20 billion. This company would control the commercial interests of FIFA’s most important competitions, including the World Cup and the Club World Cup, with the intention of attracting investors to acquire about 20% of these shares for $4.2 billion, an amount that will be distributed among FIFA’s member associations.

Infantino hopes that all funding will be secured by the end of October, just three months after associations became aware of the proposal through the media, which deemed it to be lacking in detail. To expedite the process, the FIFA president set a deadline of September 19 for all associations to register for the scheme, quickly receiving $40 million or rejecting this transformative revenue.

The confidential presentation also reveals FIFA’s intentions to ensure it can pay $86 million to each of the 211 member associations over the next twelve years. There are forecasts that a massive expansion of tournaments will be the first measure adopted, reinforced by the reference to the term “competition enhancement” in the documents. There is already talk of a men’s World Cup with 64 teams in 2030, while the Club World Cup, featuring 32 teams, raises debates about the need for growth.

FIFA assures that private investors, notably Thrive Eternal, a venture capital firm led by Joshua Kushner, brother of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, will not have a dominant stake in operations but will instead provide their “expertise.” Infantino described this “commercial optimization” as a pathway to unlock the next era of growth.

Meanwhile, FIFPRO Europe, the organization representing professional players, has expressed its opposition to the proposal, stating that it “cannot – and will never support – such a model.” The main concern is the well-being of players, particularly in light of the possibility that future World Cups and international tournaments may become more frequent, with suggestions for biennial competitions. Players already feel overwhelmed by the current match calendar.

In addition to the impact these changes may have, FIFPRO highlighted the lack of communication regarding a project of such magnitude, which has largely developed behind closed doors. UEFA, for its part, expressed its dissatisfaction and called for a virtual meeting to decide the next steps, reflecting the growing tension between football entities and FIFA’s leadership.