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 long-term investors who would acquire minority, non-controlling interests in FFE," according to the international federation.

The 211 member associations were then given until 19 September 2026 to express their official support for the project.

"Having listened carefully to all the views, it has…