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Concacaf and its affiliated associations announced Thursday their decision to oppose 'FIFA Forward Enterprise'—Gianni Infantino's initiative to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
Infantino aims to establish a new company, valued by FIFA at $20 billion, that would oversee FIFA competitions—most notably the men's and women's World Cups. Shares in this venture would then be sold for billions of dollars to private equity figures such as Joshua Kushner, brother of U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared.
FIFA maintains that no authority over the World Cup will be transferred to investors. However, the concept leverages the world's most beloved sport as a means to further enrich the wealthy, and it has not been well received.
FIFA is dangling enormous sums of money before the globe's 211 national soccer federations, with promises of significantly increased funding. There appears to be a $46 million (€40 million) 'incentive' simply for endorsing the proposal, followed by progressively larger payouts across each subsequent three-year cycle, well beyond what was initially anticipated.
Infantino imposed a tight deadline of Sept. 19 for member associations to back the overall proposal—which has itself generated considerable confusion regarding its actual contents—and collect the financial benefits.
While UEFA's wealthier nations outright refused to participate and threatened a full boycott of FIFA international competitions, many questioned how the world's smaller soccer federations would react given the unmistakable financial incentives on offer.
Within Concacaf, principles of morality and integrity have won out.
Concacaf Says No to FIFA, Gianni Infantino
The North, Central American and Caribbean confederation states it is "united by the love of our game" and committed to its values of "service, transparent governance and the long-term stewardship of [soccer]."
A hastily arranged meeting on Thursday was attended by the presidents of all 41 Concacaf member associations, along with its president, council members and FIFA council representatives.
It stated: "During the meeting, the membership expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies."
Concacaf also questions the necessity of the move altogether, given that the recently completed 2026 World Cup is officially the most financially successful in FIFA's history. Why pursue "private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA Forward programs" against such a backdrop?
Beyond rejecting the proposal, Concacaf has directed its FIFA council member to "engage FIFA to determine how existing vast FIFA reserves could be used to increase FIFA Forward funding for football development across our region."
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There is also a pointed message for Infantino: "... ensure that any matter follows the proper governance processes via staff and FIFA Council, in accordance with the FIFA Statutes."
That amounts to a firm rejection.