FIFA has withdrawn its FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, which would have opened the commercial management of its top competitions to private investment, after facing fierce opposition from confederations across multiple regions.
President Gianni Infantino announced the decision in a statement, saying the proposal would not go forward. He said the organisation’s purpose had always been to unite and improve, and that after listening carefully to different views it had become clear the project had created divisions that, regardless of the level of support, no longer served the interest of the original goal.
FIFA had presented the FIFA Forward Enterprise earlier in the week as a commercial subsidiary it said could raise up to 4.2 billion dollars against a valuation of 20 billion dollars, linked to the management of the World Cup and Club World Cup. The plan also included a one-time payment of 20 million dollars to each of FIFA’s 211 member associations in early 2027 and an increase in cycle funding from 8 million to 20 million dollars for the 2027-2030 period.
UEFA, representing 55 federations, was the first to escalate the conflict, announcing its national teams would not participate in FIFA competitions while the plan remained on the table. Concacaf formally rejected the initiative, and the Asian Football Confederation aligned itself with both confederations. South America’s Conmebol took a more cautious stance, saying it had opened consultations with its ten member associations, including Argentina and Brazil.
The dispute also reached Infantino’s inner circle. His senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned, publicly criticising the plan as a bad deal for FIFA member associations, for football, and for the long-term future of the game.
