FIFA is no longer hiding behind its nonprofit status while generating billions in revenue from the World Cup.
The global governing body announced Tuesday that it plans to create a commercial entity that could bring in billions of additional dollars each World Cup cycle.
FIFA estimated it made $15 billion off this summer’s World Cup—up from about $7.6 billion from the last World Cup cycle and 2022 tournament—and the new entity would seek to “unlock the full potential” of sponsorship and media rights revenue for the men’s and women’s World Cups, as well as other FIFA tournaments.
FIFA said it plans to create a company called FIFA Forward Enterprise, a new commercial and events business arm that it would own and control. It estimates the move could bring up to an additional $20 million for each member country’s federation by 2030—plus more in subsequent World Cup cycles—and it intends to raise $4.2 billion from investors this year to fund that program. The entity has an initial valuation of $20 billion, FIFA said.
All of this would need approval from the majority of FIFA’s more than 200 member associations, the individual national soccer federations that make up its ranks.
