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World Cup

FIFA has abandoned a proposal to create a $20 billion company, backed by outside investors, to help run the World Cup, after a wave of institutional opposition that culminated in UEFA publicly declaring a loss of confidence in president Gianni Infantino. The plan was scrapped around 31 July and 1 August 2026, according to reporting from BBC Sport and the Associated Press, ending months of closed-door lobbying that had reached the highest levels of football governance and, reportedly, well beyond it.

  • The structure would have given private capital a formal role in an event historically run entirely by FIFA and its member confederations.
  • Supporters of the plan argued it could unlock investment for infrastructure and expansion without relying solely on broadcast and sponsorship revenue.
  • Critics said it risked handing commercial control of the sport's most valuable property to a small group of outside investors.
  • The scale of the proposed company, at $20 billion, made it one of the largest single financial restructurings ever floated in world football.

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