(FILES) FIFA president Gianni Infantino looks on during a meeting with the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on November 17, 2025. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has lost the “confidence” of the UEFA, European football’s governing body, it said in a statement on August 1, 2026, after his plan to allow private investment in the World Cup was withdrawn following a global backlash. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has lost the “confidence” of European football’s governing body after his plan to allow private investment in the World Cup was withdrawn following a global backlash.
“The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family,” read the statement.
UEFA had been at the forefront of the opposition to FIFA’s plan, which had envisaged raising up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a planned commercial subsidiary to run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.
While UEFA welcomed the withdrawal of a proposal unanimously rejected by itself and also by other confederations “whose job it is to protect football,” it did not hold back in its criticism of Infantino.
