This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed.
AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Nearly 100 Countries Have Already Rejected FIFA President’s Plan to Sell Off World Cup Stakes to Private Investors
FILE – FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, awards President Donald Trump with the FIFA Peace Prize during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)
Nearly 100 countries have rejected a FIFA proposal that would see soccer’s international governing body sell off stakes of the World Cup to private investors.
Earlier this week, FIFA announced the proposal of a new, non-profit organization called the FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE). FIFA would then sell up to 21% of FFE in an effort to raise more than $4 billion. That money would be passed down to FIFA’s 211 member associations.
That proposal, however, was immediately met with heavy resistance. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced Thursday that its 55 member associations would not participate in any FIFA events as long as the proposal remains on the table. That includes the men’s World Cup and next year’s women’s World Cup.
In a statement obtained by The Athletic , UEFA said the organization and its members “unanimously and unequivocally reject” FIFA’s private equity proposal.
The report continued:
UEFA later confirmed its stance, with the organisation saying it and its members “unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.
“As a result of today’s discussion, no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.”
UEFA’s members include international powerhouses England, Spain, France, and Germany; and a World Cup without any of them would be a major blow to the tournament. Hours after that announcement, FIFA’s problem got much worse when CONCACAF — the organization representing countries in North America, South America, and the Caribbean — said its 41 members also rejected the proposal.
Breaking: CONCACAF's 41 countries "reject" FIFA World Cup sell off plan pic.twitter.com/MFhT3xEGNc
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) July 30, 2026
As noted in the report from The Athletic , the proposal was led by FIFA President Gianni Infantino . For the proposal to move forward, it must be approved by a majority of its member associations and the FIFA Council by Sept. 19. In a follow-up report , sources claimed the “vast majority” of CONCACAF members have lost faith in Infantino as FIFA’s leader.
The post Nearly 100 Countries Have Already Rejected FIFA President’s Plan to Sell Off World Cup Stakes to Private Investors first appeared on Mediaite .
NearlyFIFAWorld CupFIFA President Gianni InfantinoPresident Donald TrumpFIFA Peace PrizeKennedy CenterWashingtonDecEarlierFIFA Forward EnterprisesFFE
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