FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) was a proposed commercial subsidiary of FIFA, announced on 28 July 2026, to manage the commercial and operational rights of FIFA competitions, including the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Under the proposal, FIFA would retain majority control of the new entity while allowing private investors to acquire minority stakes, with the aim of increasing funding for football development through FIFA's member associations.
The proposal attracted significant international controversy due to its potential commercialization of FIFA's competitions, the involvement of private investment firms, and concerns raised by football confederations and leagues over governance, transparency, and consultation. Following heavy criticism, including opposition from the European football confederation UEFA including threats of a possible boycott, FIFA president Gianni Infantino withdrew the proposal, stating that the project had created divisions that were no longer in the interest of its original objective of strengthening football development and unity.
Background FIFA Forward Programme The FIFA Forward Programme is FIFA's football development funding initiative. It was launched in 2016 to support member associations and confederations through investment in infrastructure, youth development, women's football, competitions, and governance.
Forward 1.0 (2016–2018) established the programme by increasing financial support and introducing stronger oversight of development funds. Forward 2.0 (2019–2022) expanded funding and placed greater emphasis on sustainable projects, governance, and monitoring. Forward 3.0 (2023–2026) further increased investment in global football development while strengthening requirements for transparency, reporting, and long-term planning.
2025 FIFA Club World Cup FIFA expanded its competitions as part of its strategy to increase global participation and the international reach of its tournaments. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup introduced a new 32-team format, replacing the previous seven-team tournament that had been held since 2005 with a larger competition featuring more clubs from all six confederations. The expanded format was expected to increase FIFA's commercial revenues, with a new global broadcast agreement with DAZN reportedly worth $1 billion including free worldwide streaming rights for the tournament. However, FIFPRO and other critics raised concerns over fixture congestion, player workload, and whether the expansion prioritized commercial interests over player welfare.
2026 FIFA World Cup and controversies
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was also expanded from 32 to 48 teams, with FIFA citing greater global representation and increased opportunities for participating nations. The expansion helped FIFA's broader strategy to grow the scale and commercial value of its competitions, helping to increase revenue generated through broadcasting rights, sponsorships, licensing, and ticket sales.
The commercial success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, contributed to FIFA's projected record revenue of more than $15 billion for the 2023–2026 financial cycle; however FIFA faced criticism over its ticketing policies, particularly its use of dynamic pricing, which caused prices to fluctuate with demand and led to record-high costs for many matches. The 2026 tournament also drew criticism over FIFA's increasing commercialization of the World Cup. The introduction of mandatory hydration breaks in every match, regardless of weather conditions, was a main focus of criticism by fans, players and coaches, who argued that the stoppages primarily created additional opportunities for television adverts. The final also featured the tournament's first halftime show, which prompted further debate over the adoption of entertainment elements associated with other major sporting events.
During the tournament, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that FIFA would examine a potential expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 tournament. However, it was opposed by officials from UEFA and CONCACAF. The proposal was intended to increase global participation and further expand the scale and commercial potential of FIFA competitions, consistent with Infantino's broader focus on growing football's revenues.
The Times report On 28 July 2026, The Times reported that FIFA planned to create a subsidiary that would manage the commercial and operational rights of its competitions, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The report also stated that Infantino could become the entity's commissioner after his FIFA presidency ends in 2031, with compensation potentially comparable to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's reported annual salary of around $64 million. UEFA responded to the report, saying the proposal crossed "a line that football's governing institutions should never cross" and that football was "not FIFA's to sell." UEFA also called for transparency over the involvement of private investors.
Proposal FIFA announced the proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise on 28 July 2026. FIFA stated that it would be valued at $20 billion whilst remaining under FIFA control, with private investors allowed to acquire minority stakes. According to FIFA, the initiative could raise $4.2 billion and provide up to $40 million to each of its 211 member associations. Per FIFA, FFE was intended to create a dedicated commercial subsidiary to manage FIFA's commercial and event operations, including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing, and licensing rights. The initiative aimed to attract long-term investment and increase revenues to support global football development through FIFA Forward. With funds from FFE, FIFA Forward funding for member associations would increase from USD 8 million to USD 20 million for the 2027–2030 cycle, supporting infrastructure, coaching, national teams, competitions, grassroots football, and women's football. FIFA would set a 19 September deadline for associations to accept the offer, with those accepting set to receive an optional upfront payment.
FIFA later circulated a 25-page "FIFA Forward Enterprise Member Materials" presentation, prepared with JPMorgan, to its 211 member associations, outlining the proposed creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise. The document projected that FIFA Forward payments could rise to $24 million per member association by the 2035–2039 cycle, which would be financed through expanded tournaments, external capital, debt financing, and higher-value commercial partnerships.
Responses and reactions The initiative generated significant controversy across the football community, with stakeholders expressing concerns over its potential impact on the governance, structure, and future direction of the sport. Discussions focused on issues including transparency, decision-making processes, and the increasing role of commercial interests in football. The proposal was compared by some observers to the backlash surrounding the initial European Super League plan in 2021, particularly due to concerns over governance, commercialization, and the role of private interests in football.
Further scrutiny focused on the involvement of Joshua Kushner's investment firm, Thrive Eternal, which was reported to be leading the proposed investor group for FFE. The group was expected to acquire around 20% of the entity through a minority, non-controlling stake. The proposed entity was developed with support from financial advisers, including JPMorgan, and commercial adviser Greg Maffei, as FIFA explored ways to attract long-term investment while retaining control over football governance and competitions.
Confederations and organizations The proposal faced criticism from UEFA, CONCACAF, the AFC, European Leagues, European Football Clubs (EFC), the World Leagues Association (WLA), and FIFPRO Europe, which raised concerns over transparency, stakeholder consultation, player welfare, football governance, and the involvement of private investors in football assets.
Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the AFC, criticized FIFA's lack of consultation over the proposal, calling it "totally unacceptable" and warning that it undermined the foundations of continental football. He added that "such an initiative will not succeed without the support of all the confederations", noting that this support did not currently exist. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed that it had received FIFA's proposal and that CAF President Patrice Motsepe would convene the CAF Executive Committee to assess and evaluate the initiative as part of the consultation process with FIFA Member Associations and the FIFA Council.
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) acknowledged FIFA's consultation process regarding the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative, stating that the proposal would be reviewed by its Executive Committee and inviting its member associations to participate in discussions. CONMEBOL expressed caution over FIFA's proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, stating that commercial and financial decisions must serve football rather than override its sporting values. The confederation said it requested further information from FIFA regarding the project's scope, structure, governance and potential effects, while calling for unity and emphasizing that football should remain the priority.
Federations The Czech Football Association (FAČR) president said the plan could bring financial benefits for grassroots football and infrastructure. The (LFA) rejected the unclear stance of David Trunda and expressed full support for UEFA and president Aleksander Čeferin's opposition to FIFA's proposals, including the creation of a commercial division and changes to FIFA competitions. Trunda later stated that his comments to British media had been misinterpreted, saying that he had only called for further details before making a final decision. He clarified that his remarks were not an endorsement of the proposal. The FAČR later issued a statement rejecting FIFA's proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise and confirmed its support for UEFA's opposition to the plan.
German Football Association (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf opposed the proposal, calling it "a fatal signal" to open the FIFA World Cup to private investors and criticising FIFA for failing to consult its Council before announcing the plans. German club VfB Stuttgart opposed the proposal, with chief executive Alexander Wehrle backing UEFA and the DFB and criticising FIFA's lack of consultation and the further commercialisation of football.
The Football Association (FA) said it was unaware of the proposal before its public announcement and expressed concern over the lack of process, governance, and available information. FA chairwoman Debbie Hewitt and chief executive Mark Bullingham later voiced opposition during UEFA's meeting on the proposal. Despite Hewitt being one of FIFA's eight vice-presidents, she said she had no knowledge of the discussions Infantino had held regarding the plans before their announcement. French Football Federation (FFF) president Philippe Diallo criticised FIFA's proposal as "worrying" and a "cause for concern," saying European football bodies were not consulted before the plans were announced.
The United States Soccer Federation and Canada Soccer expressed support for CONCACAF's collective decision to reject the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, with US Soccer stating that it "stands with Concacaf and its members" and Canada Soccer similarly saying it "stands with Concacaf and its members on today's collective decision." The Mexican Football Federation said it would study the proposal before taking a final position, seeking further information from FIFA on the new financial model.