Can Infantino Get 106 Votes For FIFA World Cup Plan? Here's How Members Are Leaning

A controversial plan by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to sell up to a 20% stake in the World Cup will need the "yes" votes of 106 teams to become a reality, but 55 European members have already said they're firmly against the proposal and dozens more say they have serious concerns—muddying the path to a majority.

FIFA has said it plans to raise an estimated $4.2 billion this year by selling a reported 20% minority stake in a new subsidiary—called FIFA Forward Enterprise—at an equity valuation of $20 billion.

Infantino will need a majority of FIFA's 211 member votes, so at least 106, to vote "yes" on his proposal for it to move forward, and the 55 members of UEFA have already confirmed they'll unanimously vote against it (and boycott all FIFA competitions in protest).

CONCACAF, which oversees football in North, Central America and the Caribbean, has suggested its 35 votes will also be "nos" after expressing "deep concerns about the lack of due process."

The Asian Football Confederation on Friday joined the other two associations in criticizing the proposal and while all 41 of its votes aren't necessarily locked in, a senior soccer official told the Telegraph that its intervention was the "killer punch" to the deal.

"It's dead and buried," an unnamed official told the Telegraph.

131. That's how many votes associations have suggested will be against the Infantino deal, ensuring it doesn't go forward. No FIFA member associations have publicly committed to voting "yes," but some—like Football Australia and New Zealand Football—have yet to take public positions.

FIFA member associations must vote on the plan by Sept. 19.

CALLS GROW FOR INFANTINO TO RESIGN

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Friday reportedly called for Infantino to resign after the British government stood by the UEFA's decision to boycott. Burnham said the scheme made clear Infantino "is the wrong man to lead the organisation." British broadcaster Piers Morgan, who said he once thought Infantino was "a force for good in football," also called for his resignation. "His greedy, tawdry attempt to flog off the World Cup is beyond the pale," Morgan said.

The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 2027 in Rabat, Morocco. The deadline for candidates to enter is Nov. 18, 2026.