FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the inauguration of Abelardo De La Espriella as Colombia’s president, in Cali, Colombia, August 7, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A week after the FIFA World Cup concluded with Spain lifting its second title, FIFA president Gianni Infantino proposed a new way of running international football. The idea, as he described it, was aimed at the “democratisation of football worldwide” while allowing private investors to take a stake in the global body’s competitions.

UEFA, European football’s governing body, is set to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday (July 30, 2026) to discuss its response to the proposal. Here’s a look at what FIFA has proposed and how events could unfold in the coming weeks.

FIFA Forward Enterprise

FIFA, the Switzerland-based nonprofit organisation, published a lengthy statement presenting its new subsidiary in glowing terms. Called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the new entity would take charge of selling all of FIFA’s commercial rights – including broadcast, sponsorship, ticketing, and licensing – while also overseeing the “operational delivery” of its tournaments. The idea, FIFA explained, is to consolidate all of its revenue-generating activities under one roof.

While FIFA would “retain sole control of FFE”, it would also “invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments”. By allowing private investors to pay billions to participate in planning of future World Cups, Infantino has argued that it would deliver financial benefits to every stakeholder.

FIFA has reportedly offered each of its 211 member associations the opportunity to receive $20 million upon approval, followed by three additional payments of $20 million, $22 million, and $24 million between 2027 and 2038.

“We intend to invest heavily even in the smallest or most remote parts of the footballing world, places that are too often passed over. Every FIFA Member Association, whatever its size, resources, or geographic location, will have a voice and the opportunity to determine its own course. Football has become a truly global game and so the benefits must be felt globally,” Infantino explained.

The global body later confirmed that the proposed lead investor in FFE would be venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. It said a consultation process has begun following a proposal submitted by Thrive Eternal, a permanent holding company led by Joshua.

This is not the first time Infantino has sought outside investment for FIFA’s commercial activities. In 2018, he announced a deal with the Japanese investment management firm SoftBank to fund the development of the Club World Cup, but the proposal collapsed following widespread backlash.

UEFA fights back

Infantino’s plans to launch FFE caught the footballing world by surprise. According to multiple reports, even members of the FIFA Council – the organisation’s key decision-making body – were unaware of the proposal and had not been involved in discussions.

UEFA has emerged as one of the strongest critics of the plan, accusing FIFA of “enriching itself and its friends” through the proposed World Cup sell-off after it emerged that all 211 member associations had been given until September 19 to make their decision.

“Today we have learned of FIFA’s deadline to associations to support their proposals or have the one-off payout offer withdrawn. Having held discussions with many stakeholders across the game, UEFA knows there is significant and growing opposition to FIFA’s scheme. We can grow the game correctly. It’s time to prioritise associations, clubs, leagues, players and fans,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.

If UEFA maintains its opposition, it could significantly derail Infantino’s plans. As the most influential of FIFA’s six regional confederations, UEFA wields considerable power. If its member nations – three of which reached the semifinals at this year’s global extravaganza – were to boycott the World Cup, it would fundamentally undermine the tournament’s significance.

FIFA has already experienced the weight of UEFA’s influence. In 2021, Infantino’s proposal to stage the World Cup every two years failed to materialise after the European governing body threatened to boycott the expanded competition.

CONCACAF, the governing body for North and Central America, has also issued a statement expressing “deep concern over the lack of due process”. Individual member associations, including the English Football Association, have also voiced their opposition. FIFPRO, the global players’ union, has likewise called on FIFA to “reconsider its proposal without further delay”.

UEFA’s emergency meeting, set to be held virtually, could either deal another major blow to Infantino (and FIFA) or pave the way for a fundamental shift in how the beautiful game is governed globally.

Published – July 30, 2026 02:57 pm IST

FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended World Cup ticket prices on Wednesday (June 10, 2026), saying “if we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong”.

Infantino spoke with reporters during a rare question-and-answer session on the eve of the opening match of an expanded 48-nation, 104-game World Cup tournament. He defended record ticket prices, said FIFA was powerless to get the U.S. government to admit a Somali referee, and praised his ability to get Iran’s national soccer team into the United States.

FIFA priced tickets starting at $140 for group-stage games, but regular seats for the July 19 final outside New York were listed at up to $8,680 and hospitality seats at up to $73,200. It raised prices for the final to $10,990 and then $32,970.

After much criticism, FIFA offered $60 tickets to national federations for their regular supporters. Infantino said 130,000 tickets were offered in that category.

Four years ago at the tournament in Qatar, prices ranged from $69 to $1,607.

“If you sell it at a lower price point,” he said, “in this particular market it would have gone — which is perfectly legal in this country … in secondary markets at much, much, much higher prices and where would the money go then? Well, to those who organise secondary markets or black market activities and not to football.” Infantino said the average ticket price was below $500 for the tournament and was comparable to other US sports during their playoffs, a claim that while true for resale prices does not appear to be accurate for list prices.

Major League Baseball’s average World Series ticket price has been $350 to $400 in recent years and NFL prices averaged $230 for the wild-card round, $320 for divisional games and $450 for conference championships.

Infantino said he was unconcerned about ticket probes by attorneys general in California, New Jersey, New York and Texas.

“When it comes to these legal investigations or complaints that were made in some states in the US,” he said, “we are very relaxed about it because before starting to sell six-and-a-half or seven million tickets we check what we do with the best lawyers, with the best experts. If we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong, as well.”

Infantino pointed to the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs as an example of how other major American sporting events are experiencing a similar surge in prices.

The get-in price on FIFA’s resale site for the World Cup final is $9,805. The NBA Finals have had wildly varied get-in prices, ranging from a minimum of about $500 for the first two games in San Antonio to about $10,000 for Game 3 in New York. Game 4 in New York was much less, dropping to about $4,000 on Wednesday.

The Stanley Cup Final this year between teams in Las Vegas and Raleigh, North Carolina, has included a get-in price of at least $600 for each of the first four games of the best-of-seven series.

“We welcome every investigation,” Infantino said. “We are happy to present everything, and we are happy to make our case.”

FIFA powerless to get US entry for denied Somali referee: Infantino

Infantino said it was unfortunate Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the U.S.

“We don’t control everything. We try. We’ll discuss, we will speak, we’ll see. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just chill, relax,” he said. “We try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution. Believe me when I tell you, or don’t believe me if you don’t want, but we try always to find solutions, always. But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces.”

Set to become the first Somali referee at a World Cup, Artan was denied entry to the U.S. at Miami International Airport on Saturday over unspecified “vetting concerns”, US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement, without giving details of the concerns.

“Our world is a very aggressive world and security goes above everything and you need to respect the decisions which are taken,” Infantino said. “We are working behind the scenes.”

Infantino thinks FIFA deserves credit for ensuring Iran’s participation

Infantino praised FIFA for working through details that allow Iran to play in the tournament at a time the US is at war with that country. The Iranian team moved its training camp from the US to Mexico and will fly to the United States just before matches.

“I think it has already been successful to bring Iran to play in America,” he said. “I don’t know who would have managed to do that. And of course everyone here believes it’s the right thing to do. But, again, we don’t live on the moon. We live on planet Earth and you have to deal with different situations.” Infantino claimed the tournament will be “the biggest event probably in the history of mankind”.

Infantino claims tournament could not have taken place without Donald Trump

“Without his engagement and his involvement I think it would have been impossible — as simple as that, it would’ve been impossible to organise a World Cup in the United States,” Infantino said. “He understood immediately the magnitude of the World Cup, the impact of the World Cup.”

FIFA is projecting $11 billion in revenue for the tournament, and Infantino said the governing body could have generated far more.

“We could put everything on pay. We would generate $30 billion revenues, probably,” he said. “But then you have billions of people in the world who would not be able to watch the World Cup.”

Infantino’s opening comments in Qatar

Four years ago, Infantino scolded critics during a news conference ahead of the opening match in Qatar. He lectured Europeans for criticising Qatar’s human rights record during a bizarre appearance in which he claimed to feel gay, like a woman and a migrant worker, among other odd claims.

Now 56, Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 and intends to seek another term next year that runs through 2031.

Infantino kept an empty seat at the news conference for Christophe Gleizes, a French freelance reporter given a seven-year prison sentence in Algeria last year over an interview with a soccer official accused of ties to a banned separatist movement.

Published – June 11, 2026 07:51 am IST