FIFA Denies Trump Backing Bid Amid World Cup Commercial Rights Deal Collapse
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has denied allegations that he sought support from US President Donald Trump after a high-profile attempt to sell a minority stake in World Cup commercial rights collapsed. The organization labeled the claims as 'pure fiction.'
The plan, which was abandoned on August 1, aimed to raise approximately $4.2 billion from private investors by selling a minority stake in a new entity tied to World Cup commercial rights, targeting an overall valuation of around $20 billion.
However, the proposal faced backlash from FIFA's member federations and internal staff, who were reportedly not thrilled about handing over commercial control of their crown jewel to private capital. Investors were told to stand down.
The incident follows Infantino's promotion of a proposed 'FIFA token' at the World Liberty Forum in February 2026 and again at the White House Digital Assets Summit in March 2026. FIFA already has skin in the game, with its NFT platform, FIFA Collect, built on the Avalanche blockchain, generating sales exceeding $25 million to date.