FIFA opens documents on abandoned $20 billion World Cup plan to council members

FIFA is opening key documents on its abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal for council members to review. A direct source with knowledge of the matter, speaking to Reuters, said the step was taken on Monday.

FIFA had not implemented the controversial $20 billion World Cup commercialisation plan it announced a few days earlier but withdrew this summer after the backlash. The reaction is reported to risk weakening the leadership of President Gianni Infantino. Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom sent a letter to council members on Monday asking them to notify the headquarters in Zurich of their interest in reviewing the documents under certain conditions.

On the same day, the deadline set by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for FIFA to answer its questions about Infantino's presidency was running out. European federations are demanding reform and oppose Infantino's re-election. Many federations called for comprehensive reform after the failed proposal. Infantino had previously proposed that decision-making processes be subjected to an independent review.

In a letter sent last month, UEFA put more than 100 questions to FIFA, including on the FFE and the FIFA Peace Prize, and set November 2 as the deadline for answers. A FIFA source said it did not find the two-week period realistic and that the organisation was focused on preparations for a new youth World Cup to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. FIFA also noted that it will hold an extraordinary congress on November 23 and will determine the hosts of the 2031 and 2035 Women's World Cups. According to the source, the ongoing legal process in the United States also imposes some limits. FIFA said it would respond to council members when the time comes, and that the invitation to review the documents was extended only to council members.

Infantino's chances of re-election were strengthened about a week ago when the president of the Asian Football Confederation backed him for a fourth term. That support left Europe more isolated in its opposition to the FIFA president. Infantino will stand for re-election in March 2027. Potential candidates must submit their applications by November 18.