Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in FIFA’s commercial operations to private investors faces fierce opposition from UEFA, which could potentially have enough votes to block the proposal.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has proposed creating a new commercial subsidiary that would allow private investors to buy minority stakes in the business generated by the World Cup and FIFA's other competitions.
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The proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) would put FIFA's commercial and event operations under a separate company while FIFA retained majority control. FIFA says the plan could unlock more than $10 billion (€8.7bn) for football development.
But Europe's members, led by UEFA, have reacted furiously, saying "the soul and governance of football are not assets to trade", while also complaining about a lack of consultation.
It has called an emergency meeting of its 55 national associations to coordinate its response, with the Asian and North American confederations also raising concerns.
What does Infantino need to gain FIFA approval?
FIFA is not a conventional company with shareholders. It is an association governed by Swiss law, headquartered in Zurich and ultimately controlled through its 211 national member associations, referred to as the FIFA Congress.
FFE would represent a significant change because it proposes transferring FIFA's commercial and event operations into a subsidiary in which private investors could acquire minority stakes.
Although Article 12 of FIFA's July 2026 Governance Regulations shows that simply creating a subsidiary does not necessarily require a majority of the Congress to agree, Infantino has confirmed the FFE proposal will be subject to approval by FIFA's members.
For most decisions, the FIFA Congress can act by a simple majority of more than 50% of valid votes cast. But if implementing FFE requires an amendment to FIFA's Statutes, the threshold is significantly higher.
For Congress to vote on a Statutes amendment, more than half of FIFA's associations entitled to vote must be represented. Once that has been reached, the amendment requires the support of 75% of the associations.
That distinction could prove crucial to whether Infantino can get his proposal through.
Can UEFA block the proposal?
Potentially — but it depends on what type of approval FFE requires.
UEFA's 55 members could have considerable power if it can convince FIFA Congress that FFE requires an amendment to FIFA's Statutes.
If all 211 associations attended and were eligible to vote, Infantino would need 159 votes to reach the required three-quarter majority for statute change. If all UEFA members voted against those changes, Infantino could only reach 156 supporters even if every other association backed him.
FIFA's Governance Regulations already give its administration substantial powers to create subsidiaries and the Council-wide authority over strategy and commercial policy.
But if transferring FIFA's commercial operations into a partly privately-owned company requires changes to its Statutes, Infantino faces a much tougher threshold — and UEFA's 55 associations could hold enough votes to stop him.
When will a decision be made?
FIFA announced on Thursday that a consultation process was launched on 28 July 2026 and will share further details with member associations and the FIFA Council.
Infantino has given member associations until 19 September to decide whether they support the proposal, telling them in a letter: "The decision on whether or not to proceed with this proposal belongs entirely to you**."**
FIFA says the plan must be approved through a democratic vote of its members and also requires approval from the FIFA Council.
However, no Congress or Council meeting has yet been announced to formally approve the plan.
The next Congress meeting will be in 2027 unless an extraordinary meeting is called.
The Council is due to meet again before the end of 2026, but no date has been made public.