Overview
- Earlier in August FIFA quietly shelved the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal that would have placed top World Cup commercial rights into a new company and sold up to 20% of it for an estimated $4.2 billion from a roughly $20 billion valuation.
- UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation led the public backlash that turned the commercial dispute into a governance crisis and prompted calls for investigations and binding safeguards.
- UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said he will not run for FIFA president but strongly criticized the plan and warned that Gianni Infantino could face a rival if he stands for re-election.
- A bloc of six Nordic federations declared they have lost confidence in Infantino and demanded guarantees preventing future privatization, while CONCACAF president Víctor Montagliani privately urged Infantino to skip a youth tournament but the FIFA president attended and sought Caribbean support.
- The row has split regional support—Infantino retains backing from CONMEBOL and CAF—and it has sharpened the March 18, 2027 contest with a November 18 candidate registration deadline and names such as Montagliani and Lise Klaveness being floated as possible opponents.