{
  "id": 19121,
  "title": "FIFA’s Infantino Scraps World Cup Investment Plan. But Is It Too Little, Too Late?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/fifas-infantino-scraps-world-cup-investment-plan-but-is-it-too-little",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-01T18:08:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Time",
    "slug": "time",
    "url": "https://time.com/article/2026/08/01/fifa-s-infantino-scraps-world-cup-investment-plan-but-is-it-too-little-too-late-/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "FIFA President Gianni Infantino has canceled plans to sell shares in a new commercial venture linked to the World Cup following widespread criticism from soccer organizations and high-profile individuals in the sport. The decision came after UEFA, the European governing body, vowed to boycott future FIFA events if the proposal proceeded, leading top advisor Carlos Cordeiro to resign in protest. Infantino stated that the project had created divisions that were no longer in the best interest of FIFA's objectives to unite and improve the game. Despite the reversal, UEFA and CONCACAF, the governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer, remain critical of the underlying premise and assert they will seek methods to prevent similar attempts in the future. This controversy may impact Infantino's chances of being reelected in 2027, with some speculating potential rivals, such as Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa from the Asian Football Confederation and Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, may challenge him for the position.",
  "summary": "UEFA said Saturday it had lost confidence in FIFA's leadership despite President Gianni Infantino's decision to abandon his plan to invite private investors into a new commercial venture tied to the World Cup.",
  "key_points": [
    "FIFA President Gianni Infantino cancels World Cup investment plan.",
    "UEFA boycotts FIFA events over proposal.",
    "Infantino claims project divisions hinder FIFA's goals."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 11,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ERR News Estonia",
        "title": "Estonian FA boss on FIFA privatization plan: The sport should be for football people",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/estonian-fa-boss-on-fifa-privatization-plan-the-sport-should-be-for",
        "published": "2026-07-31T11:40:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Fast Company",
        "title": "FIFA World Cup private investment plan explained: Why teams are vowing to boycott the controversial scheme",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/fifa-world-cup-private-investment-plan-explained-why-teams-are-vowing",
        "published": "2026-07-31T19:45:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Vox",
        "title": "Everyone hates FIFA’s plan to sell the World Cup to private equity",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/everyone-hates-fifas-plan-to-sell-the-world-cup-to-private-equity",
        "published": "2026-07-31T21:10:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MercoPress",
        "title": "Three confederations reject selling part of the World Cup to private funds; Conmebol asks for explanations",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/three-confederations-reject-selling-part-of-the-world-cup-to-private",
        "published": "2026-07-31T22:05:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "DW News",
        "title": "UEFA 'rebuilding trust' after FIFA scraps World Cup sell-out plans",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/uefa-rebuilding-trust-after-fifa-scraps-world-cup-sell-out-plans",
        "published": "2026-07-31T23:46:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "FIFA scraps private investment plan after backlash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/fifa-scraps-private-investment-plan-after-backlash",
        "published": "2026-08-01T05:30:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "FIFA bins controversial private investment plan after backlash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/fifa-bins-controversial-private-investment-plan-after-backlash",
        "published": "2026-08-01T06:14:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Business",
        "title": "Faisal Islam: Four reasons why Fifa's World Cup plan never stacked up",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/faisal-islam-four-reasons-why-fifas-world-cup-plan-never-stacked-up",
        "published": "2026-08-01T12:41:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "UEFA, CONCACAF target Infantino after FIFA shelves World Cup private investment plan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/uefa-concacaf-target-infantino-after-fifa-shelves-world-cup-private",
        "published": "2026-08-01T16:19:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "FIFA reverses course on World Cup private investment plan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/fifa-reverses-course-on-world-cup-private-investment-plan",
        "published": "2026-08-02T00:59:33.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}