Soccer fans woke up this week to explosive news. FIFA president Gianni Infantino is reportedly negotiating to sell stakes in the World Cup. The buyers include private investors with ties to the Trump family.
The Times first reported the story, naming Josh Kushner as the likely lead investor. Josh is the brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who currently serves as a U.S. special envoy for peace missions in the Trump administration.
Under the plan, FIFA would create a new company to control future tournaments, and Infantino could later lead this entity once his current term as FIFA president ends. Critics call the timing highly suspicious.
A shocking plan to sell shares
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has opened talks with private investors about selling equity in the World Cup. The move would give up minority ownership of a new commercial subsidiary, not the tournament itself. Many fans consider the plan alarming regardless.
The new entity would be called FIFA Forward Enterprise. It would oversee both the men’s and women’s World Cups, along with the Club World Cup, going forward. Outside investors would only hold minority, non-controlling stakes, while FIFA retains majority ownership and control.
FIFA insists the World Cup itself will not be sold. Officials say only a subsidiary will hold outside investment while FIFA keeps final control over major decisions and events. Skeptics doubt this promise will hold.
Josh Kushner named as lead investor
Reports identify Josh Kushner as the investor expected to lead this deal through Thrive Eternal, a new investment vehicle launched by his venture capital firm, Thrive Capital. He has built a strong reputation in tech investing, and this marks his boldest sports-related move yet.
Josh is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump and now serves as a special envoy within the current Trump administration. This family connection has fueled intense public scrutiny.
Insiders say Jared himself was originally considered for the lead role, but FIFA reportedly shifted things to his brother to avoid obvious political optics surrounding the deal, a decision that raised even more suspicion among fans.
Infantino could lead the new company
Under the plan, Infantino would eventually serve as commissioner of the new entity. His current term as FIFA president is set to conclude sometime in the year 2031. That timeline gives him a clear personal incentive.
Reports compare his future salary to that of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who earns roughly $64 million every year. That figure alone has shocked many soccer fans worldwide. Soccer has never paid an executive anywhere close to that.
FIFA denies that Infantino’s exact future role has been settled yet. A statement insisted that the federation and its administration will retain leading roles within the new company. Many fans simply do not believe that denial either.
A $20 billion price tag
The proposed sale reportedly values the new entity at nearly $20 billion. That number would make it one of the largest sports deals ever recorded, and few outside investors have ever touched football at this scale before.
Supporters argue the cash could boost football development funding worldwide, with FIFA claiming funding would grow well beyond $10 billion over the coming years.
Smaller federations could see their four-year Forward funding allocation jump from $8 million to $20 million for the 2027-2030 cycle, then to $22 million and $24 million in later cycles. That boost makes the offer tempting despite the backlash.
Fun fact: The freshly concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup already brought in a record $12 billion in revenue.
Infantino’s long history with Trump
Gianni Infantino has led FIFA as president since the year 2016. His friendship with Trump has grown noticeably closer over several recent years. He even created an inaugural peace prize and gave it to Trump.
FIFA opened an office inside Trump Tower in New York City. Infantino called it a sign of strong support from the Trump administration. Eric Trump attended that announcement alongside star Ronaldo.
Critics say this closeness explains why Infantino trusts Kushner as an investor. Supporters argue that strong political relationships simply help major world tournaments run smoothly. Either way, the friendship now sits under a bright global spotlight.
UEFA says this crosses a line
European soccer body UEFA didn’t just criticize the plan; it announced a boycott of FIFA over the proposal. Officials called the scheme troubling and said it threatens the integrity of the sport, arguing that no single entity owns the game of football.
A UEFA statement declared that “none of us are the owners of football” and that the sport is “not FIFA’s to sell,” warning that the move crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross.
Other federations, including CONCACAF, have echoed similar concerns, and fans have flooded social media with outrage since the story broke, with many calling it a cash grab dressed up as football development.
Joseph Blatter’s surprising warning shot
Former FIFA president Joseph Blatter is no stranger to scandal himself. Yet even he publicly criticized Infantino’s closeness to the Trump family. Blatter said the relationship has already grown deeply, financially damaging to football overall.
Blatter argued nobody has the right to sell the world’s most popular sport. His comments carried extra weight given his controversial history at FIFA. When Blatter sounds alarmed, longtime soccer watchers tend to notice quickly.
His warning added fuel to an already blazing controversy this week. Even Infantino’s harshest longtime critics rarely expected support from this particular direction. It clearly shows just how far this entire scandal has spread already.
What happens next for soccer
FIFA member associations must formally approve this plan before anything proceeds further. Infantino has set a September 19 deadline for member associations to make their decision, and after early backlash, he already sweetened the offer once, doubling the proposed funding boost to $40 million per association. Nothing is finalized yet despite all the recent leaked details.
Pressure from UEFA, lawmakers, and furious fans could still derail everything entirely. Public backlash has already forced FIFA into unusually detailed public confirmations this week, and momentum against the deal appears to be building daily. Soccer’s complicated relationship with money and politics keeps growing messier with each passing year, and this story is far from finished unfolding.
Fun fact: FIFA has 211 member associations, which is actually more countries and territories than belong to the United Nations.
TL;DR
- FIFA president Gianni Infantino is reportedly in talks to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
- Josh Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, is named as the likely lead investor in the deal.
- The new entity would be called FIFA Forward Enterprise and could oversee the men’s, women’s, and Club World Cup.
- Infantino could become the entity’s commissioner once his FIFA term ends in 2031, earning a salary comparable to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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