Privatising the World Cup: Gianni Infantino's rogue plan rattles allies

In a hushed hallway of the Waldorf‑Astoria, senior football officials whispered as Gianni Infantino unveiled an outlandish scheme to privatise the World Cup – a plan that has been in the works for over a year and traces its origins to last year’s Club World Cup in the United States. The revelation, delivered amid the weekend of the World Cup final, set the stage for a storm of controversy.

According to insiders, the project was so secret that even Infantino’s inner circle and closest advisers at FIFA were unaware, a secrecy that has aggravated key allies such as the Asian Football Confederation. The lack of internal briefing has left the Confederation feeling sidelined in a decision that could reshape global football.

Many observers suspect the plan was crafted with financial interests tied to the wider Donald Trump family, a connection that explains the proximity of businessman Josh Kushner. This alleged link has added a political dimension to the already contentious proposal.

The scheme is being described as a “unilateral Infantino project”, with some football administrators accusing the FIFA president of “going rogue”. Those words echo the stunned and furious reaction from officials who had previously tried to remain politically pragmatic around Infantino.

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High‑level sources note that a large number of people are working on the plan and that a lot of money backs it, with the initial details leaking through the financial sphere. On the eve of the Spain‑Argentina match, there was even an expectation of a big announcement, yet Infantino remained silent when put on the spot at MetLife Stadium.

UEFA managed to gather concrete details and brief other FIFA Council members after the financial community’s chatter spread. The publication of the plan in The Times on a Tuesday afternoon forced FIFA into a rushed announcement, despite the project still needing substantial work and Infantino having not discussed it with any Council member.

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Germany’s Bernd Neuendorf publicly voiced the fury of many officials at learning about the plan through the media, highlighting Infantino’s sidestepping of usual protocols. Council members are now demanding answers on how the decision was made, who the preferred financial partners are, and who gave Infantino the mandate.

That plan raises fundamental questions about governance, as Infantino frames his role in terms of “fiduciary responsibility” despite FIFA being a not‑for‑profit organisation. European clubs are stunned that their Memorandum of Understanding appears to have been bypassed, a move that could require a complete renegotiation of player provision and signals a shift toward governance by fiat, potentially reshaping the future of the 2026 World Cup.