Zurich, Switzerland – FIFA has defended its proposal to create a new company to manage the commercial rights to its tournaments, stressing that the project aims to increase investments and financial returns for national federations, and does not in any way involve selling football or giving up control over its competitions.
FIFA explained in an official statement that it understands the concerns expressed by some continental federations regarding the proposal, stressing its commitment to conducting comprehensive and transparent consultations with all member associations before making any final decision.
The International Federation indicated that some media reports that dealt with the project inaccurately affected the course of the discussions, stressing that it will continue the dialogue with the 211 national federations, in order to ensure that they are informed of all the details of the proposal before expressing their position on it.
FIFA confirmed that the proposed company would be wholly owned by the international federation and would manage the commercial and operational aspects of its tournaments, with full and permanent control remaining in FIFA’s hands, explaining that the main objective is to generate additional revenues that are reinvested in the development of football around the world.
FIFA: Football is not for sale
The statement stressed that “football is not for sale,” emphasizing that the project does not involve relinquishing ownership of the World Cup or other FIFA competitions, and that each national association has complete freedom to support the proposal, object to it, or request further clarification.
He added that no entity can claim to represent all national federations, considering that each federation has the right to study the project independently and participate in decision-making according to the democratic principles that govern the work of the International Federation.
FIFA revealed that the proposal includes increasing financial support for national federations, with each federation receiving $20 million through the FIFA Forward program during the 2027-2030 cycle, regardless of its position on the project, with this increase to be funded from the revenues that the new company will generate.
The project also includes the launch of the FIFA Fast Forward program, which grants each national federation an additional one-time funding of $20 million, with the emphasis that participation will be optional and that its funding will come from external investments without compromising FIFA’s control or governance structure.
The International Federation confirmed that the project will not come into effect until it obtains the approval of a majority of national federations, and if this support is not obtained, the current commercial system will continue without any change.
FIFA concluded its statement by emphasizing that all items of the proposal are still under discussion and can be amended, rejected, or adopted in whole or in part, noting that the main objective of the project is to enhance funding for football development and expand the use of commercial opportunities to serve the game globally.
