Overview
- FIFA has shelved the secretive FIFA Forward Enterprise plan to sell about 20% of World Cup commercial rights after broad backlash over a proposal valuing the rights at roughly $20 billion.
- Six Arab federations — Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sudan — issued a public statement expressing full support for President Gianni Infantino, with four signatories serving on the FIFA Council.
- Multiple national associations including England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and the Scottish FA have publicly withdrawn their support for Infantino and called for independent scrutiny of the aborted deal.
- UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation have accused FIFA leadership of deception in an open letter and have taken legal preservation steps that increase the chances of arbitration or an extraordinary congress challenge.
- The dispute now centers on document preservation, independent reviews and election timing, with a Nov. 18 deadline for candidates and a March 2027 presidential vote that will test whether Infantino retains legitimacy across the 211-member FIFA membership.