FIFA has proposed selling commercial stakes in the World Cup to private investors to raise more than £3 billion. the plan, championed by President Gianni Infantino, involves creating a subsidiary to manage ticketing and television rights.
The £3 billion play involving J.P. Morgan and Thrive
FIFA is seeking to offload the operational and commercial delivery of its tournaments to a newly formed subsidiary. According to the report, J.P. Morgan is acting as the advisor for this move, with the American venture capital firm Thrive—led by Joshua Kushner—expected to spearhead the investor group. This structural shift would essentially separate the governing body's regulatory functions from the profit-generating machinery of the World Cup .
To ensure the proposal passes, FIFA is offering national football associations an additional £15 million in revenue. This financial incentive is viewed by many critics as a strategic payment to secure the necessary votes from smaller member nations who lack the independent wealth of Europe's footballing giants.
How the 64-team 2030 expansion secures Infantino's power
President Gianni Infantino has leveraged FIFA's "one-association-one-vote" system to insulate himself from opposition. This democratic structure grants the football association of a tiny nation like San Marino or Curacao the same voting weight as the English Football Association . By promising increased funding and expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, Infantino has made himself indispensable to smaller nations that rely on FIFA's coffers for survival.
As the source indicates, this strategy has already paid off. Infantino has secured a block of 111 votes from the African, Asian, and South American confederations, which is more than enough to guarantee his re-election and the passage of his commercial agenda. The expansion to 64 teams would mean 30 percent of all FIFA member nations could participate, creating a cycle of more matches and higher revenue for the investors.
A European Super League echo and UEFA's 51-vote deficit
The current turmoil at FIFA is being compared to the failed European Super League attempt due to the potential for a permanent shift in how football is governed. uEFA, representing 55 member associations, is currently attempting to organize a unified front against the privatization plan. however , the effort is already fracturing ; for instance, the president of the Czech FA has already expressed support for Gianni Infantino.
Even if UEFA managed to convince every single one of its 55 members to vote against the proposal, they would still face a 51-vote deficit.. This mathematical reality makes a direct legislative block nearly impossible, leaving European football leaders with very few traditional tools to stop the transition to a private-equity-backed model.
Will the Women's World Cup become UEFA's only leverage?
With the men's World Cup still years away, UEFA may look toward the upcoming Women's World Cup to exert pressure. Potential tactics include disrupting the broadcast tender process or creating operational hurdles for the tournament. However, this is a risky gamble; reigning champions Spain, for example, would likely oppose any move that jeopardizes their own title defense.
Several critical questions remain unanswered by the current proposal. While FIFA claims outside investors will have no operational role, it remains unclear how the governing body will prevent profit-driven investors from demanding an increase in the frequency of the World Cup and the Club World Cup to maximize returns. Furthermore, the report only presents the perspective of FIFA and its critics, leaving the specific terms of the Thrive investment group's proposed involvement largely opaque.
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