FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday established a Sept. 19 deadline for the global governing body's 211 member federations to accept individual, one-off payments of $20 million.
The financial offers are part of an ongoing proposal to sell equity stakes in the FIFA World Cup to private investors.
Why It Matters
This initiative represents a major shift toward bringing private equity into international soccer's most prestigious and lucrative tournament. Historically, FIFA has retained exclusive control over the World Cup, which generates the vast majority of the organization's multi-billion-dollar revenue. Introducing outside investors could fundamentally alter how the global game is funded and governed, especially for smaller member nations that rely almost entirely on FIFA distributions to fund their domestic soccer programs.
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