FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed the abandonment of a plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors. Infantino announced the decision on his social media account.
According to Infantino, the initiative was designed to boost revenues for national football associations and to promote football development — particularly in countries that need additional support. The project was originally intended to move forward only with broad backing from FIFA members and after consultations with confederations and other stakeholders in the football community.
The FIFA chief noted that discussions revealed the proposal had sparked significant disagreement and was no longer aligned with its core objective: uniting global football. As a result, the organization has decided not to pursue the project further.
The plan involved establishing a separate company to manage the commercial rights for FIFA’s major tournaments. FIFA estimated that the scheme could attract approximately USD 4.2 billion in investment. However, the proposal faced strong opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONMEBOL. Notably, UEFA had previously threatened to boycott FIFA‑sanctioned tournaments over the issue.
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