The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) officially rejected FIFA president Gianni Infantino's controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors on Thursday. This decision follows a wave of opposition from European nations, where the governing body UEFA had already threatened to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions to protest the proposal.
The 41-member confederation held an urgent meeting on Thursday to address the plan, which was revealed only on Tuesday. Infantino’s project involves spinning off FIFA’s commercial operations into a new $20 billion subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). Under this structure, 20% of the entity would be owned by private investors. The core investor identified for this project is the New York-based firm Thrive Capital, which was created by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of President Trump.
In a formal statement, CONCACAF emphasized its commitment to the game, noting that the organization is united by a love for football that prioritizes service, transparent governance, and long-term stewardship. The confederation stated, "History has shown FIFA and the football family what happens when the custodians of the game lose sight of these values." Furthermore, the organization questioned the necessity of seeking private equity to fund FIFA Forward programs, particularly following what they described as the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history.
The political landscape within FIFA shifted significantly on Thursday as a traditional bedrock of support in Asia also began to fracture. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the president of the Asian Football Confederation and a long-time ally of Infantino, expressed his concerns in a letter to member federations. He warned that FIFA's unilateral actions appear to undermine the foundations of continental football and stated that the initiative would not succeed without the support of all confederations, which is currently lacking.
UEFA, where Infantino served as general secretary before his 2016 election, has been particularly harsh in its criticism. The European body labeled the proposal a "profound failure of leadership" and an "abdication of FIFA's duty as the custodian of world football."
Infantino had attempted to incentivize the plan by writing to the 211 member associations on Tuesday. He promised that if they approved FFE, their basic funding for the next four years would double from $10 million to $20 million. He further projected that total funding through 2038 would reach $86 million per member, compared to the current projection of $36 million. Members have been given until mid-September to accept the plan.
The pressure on FIFA is mounting as the next tournament, the Women's Under-20 World Cup, is scheduled to begin in Poland on September 5. Additionally, the four British federations are currently the only bidders for the 2035 Women's World Cup, with a final decision on that host due on November 23.
