UEFA threatens to boycott the World Cup if FIFA proceeds with its $4.2 billion sale to raise capital.

FIFA has confirmed it will proceed with its plan to separate its commercial business and open a share sale to investors to raise $4.2 billion, despite opposition from UEFA and several other football federations.

On July 31, 2026, at 1:42 PM, Bloomberg News reported that the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) confirmed it would proceed with its plan to separate commercial businesses from the organization and open the market to external investors, despite opposition from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which announced that member nations might boycott the World Cup if the plan was approved.

FIFA issued a statement on Friday (July 31) confirming that the organization is not selling football, but rather establishing a new company to manage its commercial operations, and that all 211 member football associations worldwide will be given the opportunity to vote on whether to approve or not.

Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA , proposed the establishment of a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to consolidate FIFA's revenue-generating businesses under a single entity, before offering a partial shareholding to private investors.

FIFA aims to raise up to $4.2 billion, valuing the new company at approximately $20,000 billion.

FFE will be responsible for almost all of FIFA's revenue-generating business, including broadcasting rights, sponsorship sales, licensing, ticket sales, competition administration, and other commercial rights.

However, FIFA confirmed that the new company will not have the power to interfere in sporting matters, such as the format of the World Cup, the number of teams, or the rules of football. Furthermore, FIFA will retain a majority stake and control the company's entire board of directors, while investors will only receive returns from future share sales and will not receive any share of the sponsorship money allocated by FIFA to member nations.

This move sent shockwaves through the world of world football, after UEFA announced that its member organizations would not participate in competitions under FIFA if the plan went ahead.

Concacaf, which oversees soccer in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, also announced that it would vote against the proposal, questioning the transparency of the decision-making process.

While the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) didn't go so far as to announce a boycott, it issued a statement criticizing FIFA for undermining the structure of world football.

Analysts view this conflict as potentially leading to one of FIFA's biggest crises and a crucial test for Infantino, who has served as FIFA president for almost 10 years.

What has many questioning is that FIFA has recently achieved tremendous financial success, with revenues in the four-year period ending this year expected to exceed $15 billion, more than double the amount from the previous period ending after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Concacaf stated that many members do not see the need to open themselves to private investment, after FIFA recently hosted the most profitable World Cup in history.

To incentivize member nations to vote in favor, Infantino proposed increasing funding for each soccer association by $12 million, bringing the total funding over four years to $20 million per association.

In addition, members can apply for an additional $20 million in funding for long-term projects such as building soccer stadiums, training centers, and sports infrastructure.

FIFA will allow all 211 member associations to vote on the project by September 19th. At least 106 votes are needed to move forward with the project.

Although FIFA insists the plan doesn't specify positions or compensation for any particular individual, the organization's documents leave room for the future appointment of new executives for FFE.

Some academics and former FIFA supervisory commissioners have therefore noted that the establishment of this new company may be paving the way for Infantino to continue in a role after his term ends, or to open opportunities for higher compensation.

Infantino currently earns approximately $6 million per year in salary and bonuses, while British media reports that he desires compensation on par with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who previously earned around $64 million per year.

Infantino is scheduled to run for re-election as FIFA president in March next year, and currently there are no other candidates vying for the position.

Reference: www.bloomberg.com

Read news related to All situations around the world can be found here.