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Gianni Infantino scraps FIFA plan to sell off World Cup
Aug 01 2026 08:49 · By Chris Davie · 0 Reads
Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup will not proceed (EPA)
Gianni Infantino has announced that FIFA will scrap plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
FIFA wanted to set up a new company to oversee commercial operations for future World Cup tournaments but the decision to raise $4.2 billion (£3.1m) through private investors sparked huge backlash.
Following an emergency meeting this week, UEFA threatened a World Cup boycott and accused FIFA of selling the sport’s ‘soul’.
‘Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,’ Infantino said in a statement.
‘Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.
‘Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support.’
The brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law was a potential investor in FIFA’s new plan (Getty)
On Friday, FIFA accused the media of ‘disrupting’ the consultation process and insisted that ‘nobody is selling football’.
Infantino had told all 211 of FIFA’s member associations that they would each receive up to $40 million (£29.6m) if they agreed to FIFA’s proposal by September 19.
CONCACAF, the 41-member federation for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, also rejected the proposal during a meeting this week.
The Asian Football Confederation, which has 47 members, also issued a statement saying it ‘stands in solidarity’ with UEFA and CONCACAF.
UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC combined make up 143 of FIFA’s 211 member associations. A majority would have needed to vote in support of the plan for it to proceed.