Friday, July 31, 2026 - The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) has formally rejected FIFA’s proposal to sell stakes in the FIFA World Cup to private investors, becoming the latest football governing body to oppose the plan.
The decision was reached after representatives of all 41
Concacaf member associations met on Thursday to deliberate on the proposal,
exposing growing unease among member nations over FIFA’s leadership under
president Gianni Infantino.
A source familiar with the discussions revealed that many
delegates felt they were “losing confidence, or have lost confidence
altogether” in Infantino. Another individual with knowledge of the meeting
acknowledged widespread concerns regarding FIFA’s current leadership style,
governance, and transparency.
Following the deliberations, Concacaf issued an official
statement confirming that its full membership had voted against the commercial
plan. The rejection follows a similar stance by European football’s governing
body, UEFA, which recently announced that its 55 member associations would
boycott FIFA competitions if the plan moves forward.
Explaining its official position, Concacaf 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. In
addition, the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA
Forward programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was
questioned.
“The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency
and proper governance.
“For these reasons, Concacaf and its 41 Member Associations
have: Rejected the proposal.”
FIFA has maintained that the proposal aims to establish a
FIFA-owned commercial subsidiary to attract long-term capital and commercial
expertise while keeping full ownership, control, and governance of the World
Cup with FIFA.
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