FIFA World Cup investment plan withdrawn after global opposition

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has dropped a plan to sell shares in future World Cup profits to private investors. The plan would have raised $4.2 billion for FIFA's 211 member organisations. It collapsed on Saturday after media reports made it public and football bodies around the world pushed back strongly.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin was sharply critical. He compared the proposal to the failed European Super League, which clubs abandoned in 2021 after fan protests. UEFA also threatened FIFA with legal action.

The investment structure had been kept secret before the reports appeared. FIFA valued it at $20 billion. It would have given private investors a share of commercial operations until at least 2038.