FIFA Scraps Kushner-Backed Plan to Sell World Cup Investment Stakes After Backlash
FIFA President Gianni Infantino abandoned his plan to sell minority stakes in a new World Cup subsidiary on July 31, days after the proposal triggered a boycott threat from UEFA and open dissent inside FIFA's own leadership. The plan, unveiled July 21, would have created FIFA Forward Enterprise, a roughly $20 billion company controlling World Cup broadcast rights, sponsorships, ticketing and licensing, and sold outside investors up to a 20% stake to raise between $4.2 billion and $4.6 billion for FIFA.
Thrive Eternal, a subsidiary of Thrive Capital led by Joshua Kushner, brother of presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, had been lined up as the lead investor, with J.P. Morgan hired to manage the deal. UEFA called the plan an attempt to sell football itself and threatened to boycott FIFA competitions, including September's Women's Under-20 World Cup, if it proceeded. Concacaf's 41 member associations separately raised concerns about the rushed timeline and the lack of review by FIFA's governing bodies, questioning why private capital was needed at all after the 2026 World Cup generated a record $15 billion in revenue. A senior FIFA adviser resigned in protest the same day Infantino pulled the plan.
What supporters say:
UEFA and Concacaf argued a nonprofit built to redistribute money into grassroots football development had no need for outside capital after its most profitable World Cup ever.
Critics of the original plan said tying the deal to the Kushner family, given Infantino's well-documented closeness to Trump, created the appearance of political favoritism in how the arrangement came together.
Opponents said the rushed rollout, presented to member associations on July 18 with a short deadline, bypassed FIFA's own governance procedures.
What critics say:
Backers of the original proposal, including Thrive Capital, argued investors would have held no board seats, no vote in FIFA's congress and no dividends, meaning the criticism overstated the level of outside control.
Some FIFA officials had pitched the plan as a way to fund football development in poorer nations through one-off capital payments to member associations.
Scrapping the deal leaves FIFA without the roughly $4.6 billion in fresh funding it was counting on for Forward development programs.
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