Gianni Infantino's FIFA marketing rights plan triggers internal crisis
On 18 July 2026, a day before the World Cup final, FIFA top officials met at New York’s Waldorf Astoria to review President Gianni Infantino’s controversial business proposal. The plan called for creating a private subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to sell stakes in future World Cup marketing rights to investors.
A private fund called Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, was slated to invest roughly $4 billion for a 20 % share in FFE, with the promise of an extra $40 million for each of FIFA’s 211 member associations. Swedish FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström approved the proposal, while two other senior officials voted against it. The leak prompted strong opposition, leading UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and UEFA Director Zoran Laković to contact European officials. FIFA later issued an apology to its members, acknowledging errors and describing the episode as an existential crisis for the organization.
Entities: Aleksander Čeferin · FIFA · Gianni Infantino · Joshua Kushner · Mattias Grafström · Thrive Eternal · World Cup
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Swedish FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström approved the plan, while two other senior officials voted against it. (The New York Times)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The proposal promised each of FIFA's 211 member associations an additional $40 million. (Reported by The New York Times)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Thrive Eternal, a fund founded by Joshua Kushner, intended to invest about $4 billion for a 20 % stake in FFE. (Financial Times and other reports)
- [● 2 SOURCES] A meeting on 18 July 2026 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York was held to discuss Infantino's business plan. (The New York Times and other reports)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The plan involved creating a FIFA subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to sell stakes in future World Cup marketing rights. (Multiple news outlets)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The proposal caused strong opposition and was described as an existential crisis for FIFA. (Multiple news outlets)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and UEFA Director Zoran Laković contacted European officials after the plan was revealed. (Reports from European media)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] FIFA issued an apology to its member associations, acknowledging errors in the plan. (FIFA internal communication)