FIFA says private capital could unlock billions for development across its 211 member associations. Critics say the World Cup is not an asset to carve up, even if control technically stays with the governing body.
FIFA proposed a private investor plan to seek private investment in its competitions, including the World Cup, and UEFA and Andy Burnham criticised the proposal as FIFA President Gianni Infantino pitched a funding expansion. FIFA says the plan could lift football development funding beyond $10bn, offer up to $20 million to each of its 211 member associations, and involve minority investors in a commercial subsidiary reportedly limited to 20 per cent, after consideration by the 37-member council and members.
The argument is not only about a balance sheet. It is about whether the commercial future of football’s biggest competitions can be partially opened to outside capital without weakening public trust in who controls the game.
The offer behind the outrage
At the center of the dispute is FIFA’s proposal to create a new commercial vehicle, described in reporting by BBC Sport as FIFA Forward Enterprise, to bring together parts of its commercial and event operations.
FIFA says the structure would allow third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments. The governing body says it would retain control over football governance, competitions, the international match calendar and sporting regulations.
That distinction matters. FIFA is presenting the plan as a way to monetize commercial operations more aggressively while leaving the rules of the sport in-house. Critics are not convinced those two things can be kept neatly apart once investors are expecting returns.
The proposal still faces internal hurdles. BBC Sport reported that it would need approval from FIFA’s member associations, with the issue expected to move through FIFA’s council and potentially to a wider vote at a FIFA Congress in Morocco in March.
FIFA sells development as the prize
Infantino’s case is built around redistribution. FIFA argues that football’s global popularity has produced huge commercial value in some places, while many national associations still lack the money to build pitches, train coaches, improve facilities or develop women’s and youth football.
Under the pitch outlined by FIFA and reported by BBC Sport, every member association could access up to $20 million in one-off capital. For wealthy football nations, that figure may not transform the professional game. For smaller associations, it could be the difference between a long wish list and actual infrastructure.
That is the strongest argument FIFA has. Its 211 members do not all experience football’s economy the same way. A national association in a smaller market may view outside investment less as privatization and more as overdue access to the money generated by the global game.
FIFA also argues that dedicated commercial subsidiaries are not unusual in sport. The comparison is meant to make the plan sound modern and manageable: separate the commercial engine, preserve governing authority, and use the proceeds to fund development.
UEFA sees a line crossed
UEFA’s reaction was blunt. According to BBC Sport, European football’s governing body said the plan “crosses a line” and warned that the soul and governance of football are not assets to trade.
UEFA’s concern is partly philosophical and partly strategic. Philosophically, the World Cup carries a status that goes beyond a normal media-rights package or sponsorship deal. Strategically, any pressure to grow FIFA competitions could collide with Europe’s domestic leagues and UEFA’s own club tournaments.
If investors buy into a vehicle tied to FIFA’s commercial growth, the pressure will be obvious: more events, bigger events, higher-value events. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport that such a structure could create pressure for further expansion, including ideas such as a larger World Cup or more frequent global tournaments.
That is where the development argument becomes complicated. More money for smaller associations may sound attractive, but the route to that money could mean a more crowded calendar for clubs and players already operating under intense workload concerns.
Burnham frames it as ownership
Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor and a prominent voice in English football debates, attacked the idea in fan-first terms. In comments posted on X and cited by BBC Sport, he argued that football belongs to supporters, not investors, and said the World Cup was never FIFA’s to sell.
That line will resonate with many fans because it echoes the backlash to the European Super League. The details are different: FIFA is not proposing a breakaway league, and it says investors would not control competitions. Still, the emotional trigger is similar. Supporters hear private money, elite control and football heritage in the same sentence, and suspicion follows quickly.
There is also a transparency issue. UEFA has questioned who would benefit financially. BBC Sport reported that FIFA sources said there had been no discussion of Infantino, or anyone else, becoming chief executive of the new entity. FIFA has said Infantino and the organization have a duty to control development of the project, but the exact nature of that role remains unclear.
Those unanswered questions are why the criticism has moved faster than the fine print. In football governance, perception often hardens before the paperwork is fully public.
The investor optics are sensitive
The reported investor group adds another layer. BBC Sport reported that Thrive Eternal is expected to lead the proposed investor group if the plan is approved. Thrive is connected to American venture capital circles; BBC Sport identified it as founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner.
That does not by itself prove a conflict or improper influence. It does, however, sharpen the politics around the plan, especially because FIFA’s relationships with power brokers, governments and commercial partners are already heavily scrutinized.
Reuters also carried reaction to the plan, including criticism focused on the financial and political dimensions of FIFA’s leadership. The broader concern is not just who invests, but whether the world’s most powerful football body is creating a structure that could pull the sport deeper into private capital and political proximity.
For FIFA, the challenge is to show that minority means minority in practice, not just in legal language. Investors may lack formal sporting control, but commercial incentives can still shape decisions around tournament size, host markets, sponsorship packages and broadcast strategy.
The vote will test FIFA’s pitch
The next stage is not a public referendum among fans. It is an institutional battle inside FIFA’s own system, where the 211 member associations hold the decisive power if the proposal reaches a congress vote.
That voting map may favor FIFA more than European critics would like. Many associations outside the richest football economies may see the promised development funding as tangible and immediate. UEFA’s warnings about governance may feel less urgent to federations that need capital now.
The unresolved questions are the ones that will determine whether this becomes a funding reform or a governance crisis:
- Who exactly would invest, and on what terms?
- How would returns be generated without expanding FIFA competitions further?
- What protections would stop commercial priorities from shaping the match calendar?
- Would FIFA publish enough detail for associations, clubs, leagues, players and fans to judge the deal?
FIFA’s pitch is simple: outside money can help more of world football share in the sport’s wealth. The backlash is just as simple: the World Cup is not a private growth asset. Between those positions sits the real decision now facing football’s power structure — how much of the game’s commercial future can be sold without changing who the game is for.
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