Infantino’s World Cup rights sale plan leaves Fifa facing global revolt by member federations

A growing majority of Fifa’s member associations have now come out against Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell a significant minority stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors, according to figures reported by Spanish newspaper AS.

The proposal from the Fifa president centres on creating a new entity to manage the commercial rights to the World Cup and other Fifa competitions, with up to 20% of that vehicle to be sold to external investors. The project has triggered mounting concern among national and continental bodies, who fear it could alter the balance of power over the future of the game’s flagship tournaments.

AS published a graphic on its official platforms outlining the current positions of the continental confederations. It reported that UEFA (Europe), Concacaf (North and Central America and the Caribbean) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have all declared their opposition to the plan.

According to the Spanish outlet, that stance means 136 national associations are now aligned against the proposal, while 75 federations have yet to state an official position. The African confederation (CAF), CONMEBOL (South America) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) have, at this stage, not issued formal declarations either in favour of or against the project.

European federations threaten Fifa boycott

The most forceful reaction so far has come from Europe, where all 55 UEFA member associations have warned they will boycott every Fifa competition if the proposal goes ahead unchanged.

Those European federations argue that “the World Cup is not for sale” and regard the attempt to turn the tournament into an investment asset as a serious breach of the game’s traditions and governance model. Their threat would affect not only the men’s and women’s World Cups but also other Fifa-organised events involving European teams.

UEFA’s collective position has significantly raised the stakes for Infantino, whose plan was intended to open the door to new private capital around Fifa’s most valuable commercial properties.

Concacaf and AFC add to pressure

The crisis widened when Concacaf and the AFC joined UEFA in publicly rejecting the proposal, AS reported. Their involvement means organised resistance now spans Europe, large parts of Asia, and North and Central America and the Caribbean, adding weight to the challenge facing Fifa’s leadership.

Critics of the scheme say they were not properly consulted before the project was drawn up. The absence of prior, detailed dialogue with confederations and national associations has been cited as one of the main reasons for the depth of opposition.

Fears over investor influence

Under the plan, a new commercial entity would handle broadcast, sponsorship and other rights tied to Fifa competitions, with up to one-fifth of that structure sold to private investors. While the move is framed as a way to secure long-term revenue and investment, opponents fear it would give external investors a powerful say in how major tournaments evolve.

Those concerns include the potential for investors to push for changes to competition formats, scheduling and expansion in pursuit of higher returns, with long-term implications for players, clubs, leagues and fans.

AS reported that unease over such possible influence, combined with the perceived lack of transparency and consultation, has fuelled the “overwhelming” resistance currently evident among Fifa’s membership.

With 136 national federations now counted as opposed to the initiative, and 75 yet to declare a stance, the future of Infantino’s commercial rights project remains uncertain, as the world game waits to see whether Fifa will revise, postpone or attempt to press ahead with the plan in the face of escalating internal dissent.