FIFA Forward Enterprise: "The value of the game is not to be sold off" (J.-M. Mickeler, Deloitte/DNCG)

"World football has just given us, unintentionally, a lesson in economics. Selling stakes in the FIFA World Cup is not about modernising a business model. It is about liquidating a scarce asset that should be passed on. What gives the game its value is not something to be sold off," Jean-Marc Mickeler, global vice-chair of Deloitte and president of the DNCG, wrote on LinkedIn on 1 August 2026.

On 28 July 2026, without any consultation, FIFA presented a plan to create a commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), open to private investors to manage its commercial and event-related activities. The entity was to raise "up to $4.2bn (€3.7bn) later this year to finance the FIFA Fast Forward Programme (FFFP), based on an initial equity valuation of $20bn (€17.5bn), by carefully selecting…