CONMEBOL's rejection seals fate of Infantino's World Cup stake plan

The Times reported on 28 July that FIFA intended to sell participation stakes in the World Cup to private investors, sparking a crisis on the global football map and prompting CONMEBOL to end the proposal. Gianni Infantino was forced to withdraw the plan after the South American confederation rejected it.

The newspaper The Times published the story on 28 July, revealing FIFA's intention to "sell participation stakes in the World Cup to private investors". The revelation immediately raised concerns among football governing bodies worldwide.

UEFA was the first confederation to respond, announcing that its national teams would not take part in any FIFA‑organised tournaments if the proposal remained in force. The statement made clear that UEFA would boycott the World Cup and related competitions under the plan.

Following UEFA, both CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued identical declarations, stating that their member nations would also refuse to compete in FIFA events while the initiative persisted. Their joint stance added further pressure on the project.

Infantino pulls $4.2bn World Cup stake plan after UEFA boycott threat

CONMEBOL later confirmed that it had requested additional information and clarifications from FIFA regarding the scope of the initiative, convening a council meeting solely to analyse the proposal with the required rigor. After the meeting, CONMEBOL announced it would not support the plan, effectively burying Infantino's project.

FIFA sources told Infobae that Infantino had expected CONMEBOL’s backing, but when the confederation began a detailed review and asked for more specifics, he chose to cancel the initiative. The sources indicated that the lack of Southern‑American support left the project untenable.

Infantino later said, "After carefully listening to all opinions, it has become evident that the project has generated divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the original objective." He added that the proposal would not move forward.

FIFA chief Infantino abandons investor plan for World Cup

In a video released on 29 July, Infantino explained that the scheme, called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), would raise federation funding from the current $8 million to $20 million per member starting 1 January 2027, representing a 150 % increase for the next cycle.

According to The Independent, the plan required at least 106 affirmative votes from the 211 FIFA member federations, a simple majority plus Council backing. The three confederations that opposed the plan together represent 136 federations, ensuring the proposal could not achieve the necessary support.