Asia confederation president says FIFA's lack of consultation over World Cup plan 'totally unacceptable'
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president has condemned FIFA's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors without prior consultation. The AFC argues that this unilateral move undermines the continental structure of football and lacks necessary transparency.
Why it matters
This conflict signals a major governance rift within global football, pitting regional confederations against FIFA's centralized commercial ambitions.
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa has branded FIFA 's lack of consultation over its plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors ‘totally unacceptable’, saying the move undermined the sport's existing continental structure.
The Bahraini's unusually forthright comments were made in a letter sent on Thursday (July 30, 2026), to the regional body's 47 member national football federations, which was seen by Reuters .
FIFA on Tuesday (July 28, 2026), said it planned to create a $20 billion commercial subsidiary to run the World Cup and its other events, drawing criticism from regional confederations, including the AFC, which said they were blindsided by the announcement.
"The AFC notes with great concern and disappointment that it was not consulted by FIFA at any level prior to the public announcement of this proposal," Sheikh Salman wrote.
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