US Soccer, Canada Soccer, Caribbean and Central American federations push back on FIFA governance

FIFA President Gianni Infantino pitched a $20 billion idea to the world’s football federations on July 28, 2026. Two days later, an entire continent’s worth of them said no. US Soccer, Canada Soccer, the Caribbean Football Union, and Central American Football, along with 37 other member associations of CONCACAF, convened on July 30 to deliver a unified message: FIFA’s governance needs meaningful reform before any sweeping commercial deal gets a rubber stamp. The $20 billion proposal nobody asked for At the center of the dispute is “FIFA Forward Enterprise,” or FFE, a proposed commercial subsidiary that would sell minority stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors. The crown jewel on the auction block: the World Cup itself, the most-watched sporting event on the planet. FFE was designed to increase FIFA Forward funding for individual associations beyond the current $8 million per cycle, channeling private capital into grassroots football development worldwide. Their objections centered on process, not necessarily principle. The proposal landed with an initial response deadline of September 19, 2026, giving federations less than two months to evaluate a deal that would fundame...