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FIFA slide deck highlights doubts over part-privatization plan for 2026 World Cup
A BBC analysis of FIFA documents says the revenue case relied on comparing annual football income and did not account for the World Cup's four-year cycle.
BBC Business reports it reviewed FIFA documents circulated to members this week that outline a plan to part-privatise the World Cup under Gianni Infantino, described as extending the 2026 US-influenced tournament model.
The 25-page deck projected American football level revenue expectations, including potential $1,000-plus tickets, dynamic pricing, and a push to move broadcasting of the tournament behind a paywall.
In its assessment, BBC Business says FIFA argued football is under-monetised versus other leagues and that global football development gets squeezed, citing a chart that compares revenue and revenue per fan across FIFA, the UEFA Champions League, the Premier League, US baseball and the NFL.
The outlet also challenged the logic of that comparison, noting the World Cup is held once every four years, football revenues are more decentralised across leagues, and that a World Cup-centred revenue view could make FIFA's position look different than the fan-based chart, alongside the document's proposal for a new partly privatised entity called Fifa Forward Enterprise to operate competitions.