What you need to know about FIFA's private investment plan — and the backlash

Less than two weeks since the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, soccer is once again front-page news thanks to a new proposal by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Not one to shy away from big announcements, Infantino caught many in the soccer world unaware with a plan to sell off part of FIFA's commercial interests to private investors.

It's caused significant backlash in the soccer world, including the prospect of European nations boycotting future editions of the World Cup — and on Friday, the resignation of Infantino's key adviser Carlos Cordeiro, who called the plan "a bad deal for football."

Here's what you need to know.

How FIFA got even richer this World Cup

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association is the international governing body of association football, also known as soccer. Founded in 1904 and headquartered in Switzerland, FIFA today has many stated objectives, including overseeing the development and innovation in the sport, conducting disciplinary matters and organizing international tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cup.

FIFA's membership is currently comprised of 211 national soccer federations (such as Canada Soccer), which are the effective owners of FIFA as a non-profit association under Swiss law.

Each national federation is also a member of six continental confederations that oversee the sport in their respective regions:

UEFA is arguably the most powerful of the six, as it counts many of the sport's most successful countries among its 55 members — including France, Germany, Italy and current world champion Spain — as well as the four "home nations" of the United Kingdom, where the sport was formalized. 

On Tuesday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced plans to form