Fifa president Gianni Infantino has abandoned plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup and other international events in the face of fierce backlash, boycott threats and the resignation of a high profile advisor.
The enormously controversial plan would have seen a new commercial subsidiary, part owned by an investment company tied to the younger brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, run Fifa’s main events.
It prompted outrage from global football associations, who said they had been blindsided by the proposal.
Uefa, Concacaf, which governs football in North, Central America and the Caribbean, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) all released statements condemning the move, with the European governing body also declaring its members would boycott all future Fifa events if the plan went ahead.
Carlos Cordeiro, who had been serving as Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned in protest and issued a statement branding the proposal a “bad deal for football”.
Facing overwhelming criticism from others in the game and beyond, Infantino on Saturday morning confirmed he was abandoning the proposal.
“It has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” he said in a statement.
“As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
Statement on behalf of UEFA and its 55 National Associations
— UEFA (@UEFA) July 30, 2026The admission of defeat came despite Fifa having, just a day earlier, issued a statement declaring it would press ahead with the plan, even after Uefa laid down its boycott threat and Concacaf said its members had “rejected” the move.
However, the decision of the AFC to stand against the proposal meant securing the 106 votes from Fifa’s 211 member nations needed to implement it was likely to be a long-shot.
In pitching the plan, Infantino appeared to have been relying on the promise of a hefty financial incentive for member nations, particularly those outside Europe.
An offer of an initial $20m (£15m) to all members, while not insignificant for the likes of England, France and Spain, represented a major funding boost for many smaller footballing nations and drew accusations Fifa’s president was trying to buy votes.
Critics have also suggested Infantino had one eye on Fifa’s upcoming presidential election, in which he had been expected to run unopposed, and was using the offer of more funding to consolidate his hold over football’s governing body.
Fifa’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, gave weight to those claims when he issued a scathing assessment of the proposal to the Associated Press, calling it “the project of one person”.
“A president must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them,” he added, before claiming Infantino had done “the opposite”.
For his part, Fifa’s president continues to insist: “Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve”.
“Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support,” Infantino said in his Saturday statement.
Despite his insistence on plotting a path forward, Infantino’s future now appears in real doubt.
Having served as president since 2016, Fifa’s boss was largely viewed as unassailable due to his work to boost funding for member nations through commercial deals and the revamp of the Club World Cup.
The expansion of this year’s World Cup, from 32 teams to 48, was also aimed at increasing revenues, both through increasing the number of matches and through a new controversial ticketing system.
Despite criticism of both the expanded format and ticketing, as well as Infantino’s apparent role in overturning the ban handed to US striker Folarin Balogun, the Fifa boss still appeared set to remain in his post.
Even in the face of a widening rift between Fifa and Uefa, Infantino’s hold over the majority of world football’s 211 member nations and a lack of viable alternative candidates meant an actual race for the presidency had long since been ruled out.
Despite his insistence on plotting a path forward, Infantino’s future now appears in real doubt. (Photo: Getty)However, Infantino’s own actions appear to have shifted the dial.
While it remains to be seen whether opposition to the World Cup privatisation plan will translate into all three of Uefa, Concacaf and the AFC formally withdrawing their support during the election next March, the severity of the backlash against Infantino’s leadership has suddenly presented an opening for would-be challengers.
One of those, North American football chief Victor Montagliani, is already “making moves” in an effort to oust Infantino, sources told The i Paper.
While many in European football were hoping Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi would put his name forward, the chairman of European Football Clubs (previously known as the European Club Association) has ruled himself out of contention.
Other candidates, potentially including Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, have until 18 November to put their name forward.
Until then, Infantino will will be focused on winning back support from member nations left angry by his effort to further commercialise football.
AFC members in particular will likely prove crucial in his effort to remain in charge of the world game.
While the Asian federation ultimately sided with Uefa and Concacaf to down the privatisation plan, it took time to consider its response and notably suggested its decision in part hinged on the fact Infantino could not “realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward”.
AFC member nations hold a total of 46 votes within Fifa’s decision making process, while Uefa and Concacaf combined hold 90 – short of the 106 needed to prevent the proposal from passing.
The AFC has otherwise been broadly supportive of Infantino’s presidency and Fifa’s boss has previously sought to foster closer cooperation between the governing body and some member nations, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
It is not immediately clear how Infantino might go about mending ties with the Asian association, although one option already being investigated by Fifa could provide a handy solution as well as meet the president’s aims of further boosting commercialisation.
A “research brief” seen by the Guardian reportedly revealed plans for a consultation process to again increase the size of the World Cup, this time to 64 teams.
The successful party commissioned to carry out the brief will be given just four weeks to assess the proposal and Fifa expects to receive any conclusions by 11 September.
If the analysis proceeds as reported, it could allow Fifa to make a determination on whether to expand the tournament before the end of this year.
Infantino addressed rumours Fifa was contemplating further expansion in July, saying it was “an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup”, after the head of South America’s football association raised the prospect.
The move to expand the 2026 edition of the tournament to 48 teams had already drawn pushback, primarily from Uefa and the global players’ union, due to concerns over fixture congestion.
However, Infantino has repeatedly claimed the expansion was a major success and it has enjoyed broad support from other football associations, including the AFC, as it has allowed more teams to qualify and increased Fifa’s revenues.
A 64-team tournament would likely draw even harsher criticism from some groups, but it is unlikely to spark the same intense backlash as the privatisation plan.
The promise of having more member nations involved, as well as the additional revenue on offer, could be enough to sure up the support Infantino needs to continue his now controversial reign.
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