Trump hovers as Spain lifts World Cup trophy to celebrate win
President Donald Trump lingered after awarding Spain the World Cup trophy, prompting FIFA President Gianni Infantino to usher him off stage.
FIFA is aiming to sell a significant minority stake to private investors, forming a new commercial entity valued at $20 billion.
In a press release, FIFA confirmed that it is “exploring the concept of bringing together FIFA’s commercial rights – spanning broadcast, sponsorship, ticketing, and licensing – with the operational delivery of FIFA tournaments through the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).”
FIFA said it was aiming to initially raise $4.2 billion for FFE, which would be based on a $20 billion valuation. Per Reuters, the external investors would have as much as a 20% stake in FFE.
The global governing body insisted, though, that FFE would be a subsidiary of FIFA, and not part of FIFA itself. Additionally, FIFA would control operations of FFE.
“Outside investors will have only a minority stake in FFE and will not play any operational role,” FIFA said.
FIFA said the proposed investment group will be lead by Thrive Eternal, which was founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Earlier in 2026, Thrive purchased a minority stake in Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants.
According to The Times, “figures close to the Trump administration have been consulted about the plan.”
“Football is the world’s most popular sport and an extraordinary engine of human and social development,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“Parts of the game have turned that popularity into remarkable commercial value – and we celebrate that success and want it to continue, because it lifts the whole game. Our job is to make sure the rest of football grows with it: FIFA exists to support sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world.”
Under the new investment, FIFA said that each of its 211 member associations would potentially see its funding increase from $8 million to $20 million for the 2027-30 cycle.
However, the plan is likely to be controversial. FIFA is a non-profit entity and selling off pieces of some of its most valuable properties for billions could be seen as cutting against the organization’s mission.
“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross,” a statement from UEFA said. “UEFA takes it extremely seriously. So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game.
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
The Times also reported that Infantino would plan on running FFE starting in 2031, when his final term as FIFA president would expire. Infantino is currently up for re-election to a new four-year term in 2027.
Infantino’s salary would reportedly be on par with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who earns about $64 million annually.