The commercial success of the 2026 World Cup has prompted FIFA to launch a plan to raise approximately US$4.2 billion in external investment, marking a shift in how the governing body of football, a non-profit organization, has financed itself for nearly 122 years.
According to reports from Bloomberg and the Financial Times (FT) , FIFA plans to sell a significant minority stake in a new commercial entity valued at approximately US$20 billion. This company will bring together FIFA's main commercial assets, including media rights and sponsorships, according to sources cited by the two publications.
The fundraising effort, being organized by FIFA in partnership with JP Morgan , has already attracted interest. Joshua Kushner, a technology investor whose older brother, Jared Kushner , is married to Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump , is in negotiations to lead the operation through his fund, Thrive Eternal.
According to a Bloomberg report, the structure being studied for the so-called FIFA Forward Enterprise foresees that investors will not receive dividends or regular cash distributions. The potential return would come from a possible increase in the value of the entity, allowing investors to later sell their stakes.
FIFA would pass on the money raised from the sale of its stake in the organization to its members, said one of the sources interviewed by the Financial Times . Each of the 211 members currently receives around US$2 million per year, regardless of their size.
The initiative comes at a time of high demand for sporting events worldwide, with football as the flagship. FIFA is expected to close the current four-year cycle with approximately US$13 billion in revenue, compared to US$7.6 billion in the previous cycle, driven by the commercial success of the last men's World Cup.
For the next cycle, which ends with the World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, the organization should raise at least US$14 billion, according to the Financial Times .
The tournament's success strengthened FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has been seeking ways to increase the organization's revenue. In addition to leading the expansion of the men's World Cup from 32 to 48 teams and already signaling the possibility of the tournament reaching 64 teams in the future, Infantino relaunched the Club World Cup in a format similar to the World Cup.
While gaining momentum, Infantino is also facing increasing criticism. His focus on maximizing revenue from the last World Cup, with significantly higher ticket prices than in previous editions and the retention of a portion of sales in the secondary market, provoked protests from fan groups and attracted the attention of several American states.
Authorities inNew York and New Jersey sent formal subpoenas to FIFA in May, questioning the organization about alleged manipulation of ticket prices and seating charts, before the start of the competition.
Infantino's relationship with Trump has also been the target of criticism. In December, FIFA awarded the American president its first "peace prize," which, according to critics, violated the organization's rules on political neutrality.
During the tournament, FIFA's disciplinary committee unilaterally reversed the suspension of American player Folarin Balogun after pressure from the White House. The relationship between Infantino and Trump is the subject of an inquiry in the US Congress.
