FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell interests in the FIFA World Cup to private investors suffered another major setback on Thursday after Concacaf and its 41 member associations unanimously rejected the plan, intensifying global resistance to what is becoming one of the most significant governance disputes in football history.
The decision came after Concacaf convened an extraordinary meeting involving the presidents of its 41 member associations, the confederation’s executive leadership, and its representatives on the FIFA Council to examine FIFA’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative. The proposal seeks to establish a new FIFA-owned commercial subsidiary that would consolidate FIFA’s commercial and event-related operations while allowing minority ownership stakes to be sold to private investors. According to FIFA, the project could generate more than US$10 billion in additional football development funding while leaving FIFA in full control of governance and sporting matters.
Following the meeting, Concacaf announced that its membership had formally rejected the proposal.
In a strongly worded statement, the confederation said football must remain guided by service, transparency and responsible governance, warning that history has repeatedly demonstrated the consequences when football’s custodians lose sight of those principles.
The confederation also questioned why FIFA would require private equity investment to finance development programmes after staging what it described as the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history.
Concacaf identified several concerns surrounding the proposal, including what it described as the absence of proper governance procedures.
According to the confederation, member associations were troubled by the lack of due process, the accelerated timetable attached to the proposal, and the fact that it had not undergone full review through FIFA’s established governance structures before being presented for consideration. The meeting concluded that greater transparency and adherence to FIFA’s statutory decision-making procedures were essential before any proposal of such magnitude could proceed.
Rather than endorsing FIFA’s financing strategy, Concacaf instructed its representatives on the FIFA Council to pursue an alternative approach.
The confederation called on FIFA to examine how its existing financial reserves could instead be used to strengthen the FIFA Forward Programme and increase football development funding across North America, Central America and the Caribbean without introducing outside investors into FIFA competitions.
Concacaf also directed its FIFA Council members to formally instruct President Infantino to ensure that future proposals follow the governance processes outlined in the FIFA Statutes, including proper staff review, FIFA Council deliberation and institutional oversight before reaching member associations.
The decision places Concacaf alongside UEFA in open opposition to FIFA’s commercial strategy.
Earlier this week, UEFA and all 55 of its member associations announced they would refuse to participate in FIFA competitions should the governing body proceed with plans to introduce private ownership into the World Cup, arguing that football’s greatest competition should never become an investment asset. The European Leagues and Spain’s LaLiga have also publicly rejected the proposal, describing it as a threat to football’s governance and long-term sustainability.
FIFA has consistently defended the proposal.
The governing body maintains that FIFA Forward Enterprise would remain majority-owned by FIFA, with investors acquiring only minority, non-controlling interests. FIFA further insists that sporting decisions—including competition formats, governance, regulations and the international calendar—would remain entirely under FIFA’s control while the additional capital would significantly expand football development funding worldwide. Final approval would still require the backing of FIFA’s member associations at a future FIFA Congress.
Concacaf’s intervention significantly increases pressure on FIFA ahead of any formal vote.
With both UEFA and Concacaf now publicly rejecting the proposal, opposition spans two of FIFA’s most influential confederations, raising fresh questions over whether the governing body can secure sufficient international support for one of the most ambitious commercial reforms ever proposed in world football.
In reaffirming its position, Concacaf concluded that football’s future—and its greatest asset—must remain in the hands of the global football family rather than private investors, underscoring the widening divide over how the sport should be governed in the years ahead.
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