Gianni Infantino has found his leadership again challenged for attempting to raise $250M in private funding for a U-15 World Cup before advising FIFA Council members.
The Athletic report, which quotes 3 FIFA Council members close to Infantino, states that they did not know the proposal for a youth tournament was being negotiated for outside investment and only discovered of the negotiations through news sources.
With a concept based on the baseball Little League World Series, the proposal envisaged 211 FIFA members being involved, with Eldridge Industries founded by Todd Boehly and associated with Chelsea chairman’s club of the same name, as investors.
Also involved was the consideration of broadcasters such as ESPN and the event being hosted in Orlando, Florida. The plan itself is said to have been estimated at an excessive $250M, with dividends returned to investors from broadcasting and sponsorship money.
FIFA released statements denying these claims and suggesting only the administrative expenditure was discussed in a December 2025 presentation to council members.
FIFA failed to clarify, however, that investors would receive a return on the funding. Since then, FIFA’s plans for a boys’ U-15 World Cup have abandoned private investment as a solution, and they have settled for the 2025 event to take place in Azerbaijan in October, placing further pressure on Infantino.
