FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks during an event in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 12. | REUTERS
REUTERS
Jul 30, 2026
FIFA’s proposal to sell stakes in a $20 billion commercial subsidiary has drawn strong criticism from soccer’s regional confederations, which said they were blindsided by the world governing body’s plan to bring private investors into the sport.
The Confederations of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC) delivered stinging rebukes on Wednesday, saying they learned of FIFA’s equity sale proposal through media reports rather than official channels. FIFA said on Tuesday that it plans to create a $20 billion subsidiary to run the World Cup and its other events, offering stakes of up to 20% in it to external investors.
Under the plan, FIFA would establish FIFA Forward Enterprise to oversee commercial and event operations. FIFA, which this year held a 48-team World Cup across the U.S., Canada and Mexico that was the biggest in the tournament’s history, would retain control of the enterprise, but offer minority stakes to private investors to raise up to $4.2 billion.
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