Gianni Infantino statement in full as FIFA president performs extraordinary U-turn on World Cup investment idea

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has U-turned on plans to sell stakes in the World Cup following enormous backlash from both inner and outer circles.

Following the commercial and sporting success of the 2026 World Cup - the first Mundial to welcome as many as 48 teams - Infantino's plans to seek private minority investment in the competition were revealed in late July.

The most prominent investor group in the plans - Thrive Capital - are an American capital firm overseen by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US president Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

As expected, the proposals sparked major condemnation from all corners of the globe, most notably from UEFA, who threatened a boycott of the World Cup if FIFA pushed ahead with the idea.

CONCACAF and AFC followed suit, expressing their strong disapproval at the plans, which needed votes in favour from 106 of FIFA's 211 member nations to move forward.

Opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC would have immediately denied Infantino the amount needed to progress the proposal, and the Swiss-Italian also faced an internal crisis at FIFA with the resignation of senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro.

Gianni Infantino releases statement as FIFA U-turns on World Cup plans

Now, Infantino has confirmed that the widely-condemned project has been abandoned, as the scathing criticism meant that the the plans were no longer aligned with the original "interest of the objective".

"Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place," a statement read.

"Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.

"Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support."

Can Gianni Infantino survive as FIFA president?

Infantino has survived controversy as FIFA president before, but the scale of this saga and the speed at which the project unravelled is a new public low for the 56-year-old.

The World Cup investment collapse shares similarities with the failed European Super League project, although the swift abandonment of those plans did not directly impact the immediate futures of those in charge of the clubs who signed up.

However, Infantino has - perhaps fatally - now made a number of enemies on the inside, as FIFA's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour also slammed the president's "serious lack of respect" over the proposals.

Infantino will almost certainly resist growing calls to step down, but the next presidential election will be held in March 2027, and there is an ongoing push to find suitable candidates to replace the current incumbent.

FIFA members could also call for an emergency congress for a vote of no confidence in the president, but as there are no firm plans to do so - nor is there currently an outright favourite to succeed him - he could very well still be leading the global game in 2027 and beyond.