FIFA World Cup plan: Infantino tackles UEFA and global game - all to know
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing significant backlash over a proposal to sell minority stakes in the World Cup and other major tournaments to private investors. The plan has sparked a divide within the global football community, with governing bodies and stakeholders threatening boycotts.
Why it matters
This represents a potential shift in the governance and commercialization of the world's most popular sport, moving from a non-profit model to private equity involvement.
Al Jazeera looks at the growing global opposition for FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s private investment plan.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin head up bodies at odds over World Cup plans [File: Fernando Calistro/AP] By Kevin Hand Published On 31 Jul 2026 31 Jul 2026 The people’s game is facing a civil war.
Football – so often also dubbed ‘the beautiful game’ – is on the verge of an ugly standoff that threatens an established order that has stood since FIFA’s governance of the game began in 1904.
FIFA’s proposal, fronted by its President Gianni Infantino, to sell stakes in the World Cup and other events to private investors has been met with a furious backlash worldwide.
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