FIFA tries to take heat off much-maligned Gianni Infantino after failed $20 billion World Cup plan

Gianni Infantino has been under fire since the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Infantino attempted to sell shares of future World Cups in an effort to raise $20 billion. That was met with immediate backlash, with UEFA going as far as announcing its plan to boycott any future FIFA events.

On Wednesday, senior staff at FIFA met for a summit in Morocco, apologizing for the error of the plan and supporting Infantino.

The FIFA senior leadership presented a unified front, and “reaffirmed their full support” for Infantino. Marrias Grafström, the secretary general of FIFA, noted that the plan, called  FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), was a mistake. In a statement, he said “mistakes made were acknowledged” and that the “process should have been handled differently.”

“There are always lessons to be learned, and FIFA will continue to improve its processes in light of this experience,” it said.

It was also noted that the FFE proposal would not happen. There have now been calls for governance reform of FIFA. The proposal has raised “serious questions about FIFA’s governance, internal culture and decision-making,” according to the statement asking for reform.

There also have been accusations that Infantino gave the 2030 Men’s World Cup to Morocco to further support his presidency. A FIFA spokesperson said it’s “false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 final. A decision will be made by FIFA in due course.”

The next FIFA event is scheduled to take place in September, as the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is slated in Poland, while the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup is scheduled for June and July 2027 in Brazil.

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