FIFA scrapped its World Cup investment plan after UEFA threatened to boycott the governing body’s competitions over proposed private ownership interests.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino withdrew the proposal on July 31. The governing body had unveiled FIFA Forward Enterprise three days earlier.
The proposed subsidiary would have consolidated FIFA’s commercial rights and tournament operations. FIFA planned to raise up to $4.2 billion through minority investments.
FIFA valued the enterprise at $20 billion. It said investors would hold non-controlling interests, while FIFA would retain authority over governance and competitions.
The organisation planned to increase development funding for each of its 211 associations. Funding would have risen from $8 million to $20 million during the 2027–2030 cycle, according to FIFA’s original announcement.
UEFA and its 55 national associations unanimously rejected the proposal. They threatened to boycott FIFA competitions until the organisation abandoned the project and provided binding assurances against private ownership.
Concacaf and its 41 member associations also rejected the plan. They cited inadequate governance review, limited consultation and an artificially short deadline.
Read: UEFA Boycott Covers All FIFA National-Team Competitions
The Asian Football Confederation said FIFA had not consulted it. The AFC later supported UEFA and Concacaf’s objections.
Infantino acknowledged that the project had created damaging divisions. He confirmed in FIFA’s withdrawal statement that the proposal would not proceed.
