Fifa is preparing to establish a new commercial subsidiary valued at $20 billion to manage the rights to the World Cup and other major tournaments, with plans to sell up to a 20% stake to external investors.
The initiative marks a significant shift in how the world governing body monetizes its intellectual property, moving away from a purely internal revenue model toward a structure that invites private capital into the core of global football's most lucrative assets.
This development follows earlier reports that Fifa was targeting a valuation of approximately $20 billion for the new entity, with the initial stake sale expected to raise more than $4 billion.
The proposal has triggered a sharp rebuke from Uefa, the European football confederation, which condemned the plan as an attempt to "sell the soul" of the game.
Uefa officials raised serious concerns about transparency and the potential for commercial interests to override sporting integrity, signaling that the path to finalizing the deal may face substantial political and regulatory headwinds within the football ecosystem.
This development follows earlier reports that Fifa was targeting a valuation of approximately $20 billion for the new entity, with the initial stake sale expected to raise more than $4 billion.
The transaction would represent one of the largest commercial rights sales in sports history, potentially reshaping the financial landscape of global football by introducing institutional investors into the governance of tournament broadcasting and sponsorship rights.