FIFA faces backlash over plan to sell commercial stakes in World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has unveiled a controversial plan to sell a minority stake in the organization's flagship tournaments, including the Men's and Women's World Cups and the Club World Cup, to private investors. The proposal involves selling approximately 21% of the competition rights to a group led by American entrepreneur Joshua Kushner for an estimated 10 billion dollars. FIFA has requested that its 211 member associations approve this plan by September 19, 2026, linking the acceptance of the proposal to potential future funding for the national associations.

The initiative has triggered intense opposition, particularly from UEFA, which condemned the move as an attempt to treat football's core assets as private property. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and other European officials are reportedly considering strong countermeasures, including a potential boycott of the 2030 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place across Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. European football leaders have labeled the deadline a form of coercion, vowing to prevent the commercialization of the sport at the expense of its governing structures, players, and fans. As tensions escalate, European federations are organizing urgent meetings this week to determine their next collective steps against the FIFA leadership.