FIFA World Cup privatization plan backed by Kushner draws UEFA fury

FIFA President Gianni Infantino unveiled a sweeping plan Tuesday to hand control of the World Cup to a new $20 billion private company — and the backlash from European soccer’s governing body was immediate and fierce.

What Infantino is actually proposing

The proposal would create a commercial entity worth roughly $20 billion to manage and monetize the World Cup, with private investors brought in to fund the operation. Among those investors: the Kushner family, whose involvement has already drawn political scrutiny alongside the expected financial questions. Infantino framed the deal as a way to unlock vast new revenues for the sport globally, arguing that FIFA needs outside capital to grow the game in emerging markets. But the details of how profits would be shared — and who would ultimately control decisions about the tournament — remain murky at best.

UEFA fires back hard

UEFA didn’t wait long to respond. The European body issued a blunt statement that cut to the heart of what’s at stake. “It is not FIFA’s to sell,” UEFA said. “None of us are the owners of football.”

That’s a pointed message. UEFA represents 55 member associations and oversees the Champions League, the most commercially valuable club competition in the world. Its leadership clearly sees Infantino’s plan as an attempt to commodify something that belongs, in their view, to a much wider community than a boardroom of private investors.

And UEFA isn’t alone in its concern. Several national federations in Europe have reportedly expressed alarm behind closed doors, worried that a privatized World Cup structure could strip them of influence over how the tournament operates and where revenues flow.

The Kushner connection raises eyebrows

Jared Kushner’s involvement adds a layer of complexity that goes well beyond soccer governance. His family’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, has been linked to the deal, and critics are already asking hard questions about how a company with close ties to a former U.S. administration ends up co-owning the infrastructure of the world’s most-watched sporting event. The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — which makes the American political dimension of this deal impossible to ignore.

It’s a lot to untangle. And FIFA hasn’t exactly rushed to clarify the specifics.

What happens next

FIFA is expected to push the proposal through its internal structures in the coming weeks, though the level of opposition from UEFA makes a clean passage unlikely. A senior official familiar with the discussions described the situation as “genuinely contentious,” adding that some members feel the process has moved too fast without adequate consultation.

Whether Infantino has the votes and the political will to force this through remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: European soccer isn’t going to sit quietly while the World Cup gets handed to private investors. The fight over who really owns football — and who profits from it — is just getting started.