CONMEBOL speaks out for first time on Gianni Infantino’s collapsed FIFA World Cup plan

CONMEBOL spoke out for the first time on Gianni Infantino‘s collapsed FIFA plan, joining UEFA’s stance against the initiative in a statement released by its council. The South American confederation called for football institutions to be respected and warned it would not accompany any move that bypasses established governance procedures.

The plan in question, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, was a commercial initiative pushed by Infantino that sought to sell stakes in World Cup rights and other FIFA-organized competitions to private investors.

The proposal aimed to boost annual funding to member federations from $8 million to $20 million, a 150% increase, starting in January 2027. But it quickly drew criticism over its rushed timeline, the absence of review by FIFA’s own governing bodies and concerns that handing commercial control of the game’s biggest events to private interests could compromise the sport’s integrity.

Opposition mounted fast. UEFA threatened that none of its national teams would take part in FIFA competitions while the plan remained on the table, while Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation soon joined that resistance.

Together, the three confederations represented 136 of FIFA’s 211 member federations, well past the 106 votes needed to block the initiative. Facing that unified front, Infantino withdrew the proposal on July 31, saying it had generated divisions and would not move forward regardless of the level of support it still had.

CONMEBOL joins the discussion

CONMEBOL‘s statement, issued days later, did not mention Infantino by name but left little doubt about where it stands. “Football always comes first,” the council said, while stressing that the sport’s future can only be built on respect for institutionality, governance and democratic procedures.

The confederation added that those responsible for running football’s organizations must always prioritize dialogue and adherence to the rules, effectively aligning itself with UEFA and the other confederations that forced Infantino to abandon the project.

“CONMEBOL’s council calls for preserving the unity of football’s family, acting with institutional responsibility, strengthening dialogue and fully respecting governance mechanisms,” the statement closed.