Gianni Infantino Takes a Hard Hit after AFC Joins UEFA and Concacaf in Rejecting World Cup Plan

AFC joins UEFA and Concacaf in rejecting FIFA's controversial World Cup plans (AFC doc).

JAKARTA - FIFA's controversial plan to sell shares to private investors for the World Cup appears to have taken a major blow after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) joined UEFA and Concacaf in rejecting the idea.

Gianni Infantino's future as FIFA president is now also uncertain, with the AFC statement also highlighting fundamental flaws in FIFA's consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed.

According to the Press Association, members of Concacaf - which includes 2026 World Cup hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico - have lost confidence in Infantino, while UEFA said it would boycott the FIFA tournament until the plan was scrapped.

The Swiss official said plans to create a new company to run the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments would require a majority of FIFA's 211 member associations.

The collective opposition of the 47 members of the AFC, plus 41 members of Concacaf, and 55 members of UEFA, means that there are now 143 members who are against it.

FIFA proposed to form the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and sell 20 percent of its shares to private investors--with Joshua Kushner's Thrive Eternal appointed as the leader of the investor group. He is the brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

The AFC statement, like UEFA's, highlighted the fact that until media reports emerged in the middle of last week, the associations were unaware of the plans.

"The AFC stands in solidarity with UEFA and Concacaf in expressing serious concern over FIFA's proposal to introduce private investment into FIFA's flagship tournaments and the decision-making process surrounding the FFE."

"The fact that the situation has reached a point where the real possibility of a World Cup boycott has entered the public discourse should be of concern to everyone who cares about the future of our game. Football should never be put in such a position."

"Although the immediate debate has centered on the FFE, the AFC considers this issue to go far beyond one proposal. Rather, it has exposed fundamental weaknesses in FIFA's consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed."

"Although the AFC has noted FIFA's latest clarification on the proposal, the main concerns surrounding governance, institutional processes and meaningful consultation remain unanswered," the AFC statement read.

The AFC's stern statement further called for an urgent review of FIFA's governance and decision-making framework.

"This is not the first time that key stakeholders have been faced with a significant initiative after the direction of travel seems to have been determined," the AFC statement continued.

FIFA issued a statement on Friday, July 31, 2026, in the early hours of local time, after UEFA announced its boycott plan and Concacaf's rejection, confirming that no one was selling football and promising to continue consultations.

A total of 55 UEFA member countries met on Thursday, July 30, 2026, unanimously and without hesitation rejecting the FFE plan. They agreed that no European country would play in a FIFA tournament as long as the proposal was still in effect.

UEFA's main concern is the impact that might arise if the shares are handed over to private investors.

"When external investors acquire ownership of shares in FIFA tournaments, football will change forever. Commercial gain becomes a permanent obligation."

"Investor expectations are becoming daily pressure. Since then, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on the format of the tournament, and every decision that shapes the future of football is no longer driven by what is best for the game, but by what is best for shareholders," said UEFA.