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Photo by Leonardo Fernandez - FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImageLife & Culture / ExplainerLife & Culture / Explainer‘Football is not for sale’: Unpacking the 2026 World Cup falloutFrom scrapped investment plans, accusations of blackmail and boycott campaigns, FIFA is still reeling from one of its messiest tournaments in yearsShareLink copied ✔️August 7, 2026August 7, 2026Text Halima Jibril The World Cup is over, but the fallout from the most thrilling and controversial tournament in years continues. Sky News reported that this year’s competition saw the highest recorded level of domestic abuse incidents in the UK compared with similar tournaments, with 384 incidents recorded. Meanwhile, FIFA has opened an investigation into Argentina over the Falkland Islands banner displayed after their semi-final victory over England. The disciplinary proceedings also extend to the chaotic scenes following Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the final. Midfielder Leandro Paredes faces three counts of assault after an altercation with Spain’s Eric García, while Argentina’s Nahuel Molina faces two counts of assault and one of unsporting behaviour. Lastly, in what feels like the Argentine Football Association’s latest attempt to ragebait the British public, it has declared July 15 – the date of Argentina’s victory over England – National Football Teams Day. This is not to mention the ongoing drama surrounding FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is preparing to stand for re-election in 2027. From scrapped investment plans to accusations of blackmail and boycott campaigns, here is all the post-World Cup drama you missed. INFANTINO’S BIG BUSINESS GAMBLE After the World Cup, FIFA announced plans to open up the commercial rights to some of its biggest tournaments to private investment. Working with JP Morgan, FIFA proposed setting up FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a new commercial subsidiary covering broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing for the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup. The plan involved selling a minority stake in the company to private investors, with FIFA hoping to raise up to $4.2bn. In simple terms, this would have allowed private investors to make money from the World Cup, raising fears that profit could play an even bigger role in decisions around tickets, broadcasting and the tournament itself. FIFA claimed the scheme could eventually generate “over $10bn” (£7.5bn) in additional distributions for its 211 member associations. American venture capital firm Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner – the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – was leading the search for investors. Unsurprisingly, the proposal caused a major backlash. On August 1, Infantino called off the plan, admitting that the project “has created divisions of a nature that are no longer in the interest of the objective”. Infantino is such a wasteman. https://t.co/6jOtDoaHnp— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) July 30, 2026 UEFA BOYCOTTING FIFA COMPETITIONS After FIFA announced plans to sell a stake in the commercial operation of its tournaments to private investors, UEFA and its 55 member associations voted unanimously to boycott FIFA competitions if the proposal went ahead. “It is one of football's greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale,” they said in a statement. CONCACAF, which represents 41 member associations across North and Central America and the Caribbean, also came out against the proposal. Even after Infantino scrapped the investment plans, UEFA’s member associations remain committed to boycotting FIFA competitions, stressing that the global governing body has not met all of their key conditions for returning. They want assurance that attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again. “These conditions have not been met,” the group said. 🚨 BREAKING: Andy Burnham has called for Gianni Infantino to resign as FIFA President— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) July 31, 2026 INFANTINO ACCUSED OF BLACKMAIL Infantino was one of the most disliked characters of the whole World Cup – and that says a lot because Trump was there! After cosying up to the President of the United States and awarding him the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize, his failed investment plan has only deepened questions over his leadership. The FIFA presidential election will take place on March 18, 2027, in Rabat, Morocco, with Infantino standing for re-election. But Jordan Football Association president Prince Ali bin al-Hussein has accused FIFA of “blackmail”, claiming that financial assistance was being withheld unless his federation backed Infantino’s bid. “It is clear the problem really is with leadership. For months, Fifa has been refusing to help us on any of these or other matters – until it was verbally communicated to me during the World Cup that if I endorsed Infantino it would go a long way to helping our FA out,” Prince Ali wrote on X. Nobody has stepped up to run against Infantino for next year’s election, but the Guardian reported that UEFA are considering presenting its own candidate to rival him. Before the investment-plan fallout, more than 200 of FIFA’s 211 member associations had backed Infantino for another term. Since then, several European associations have withdrawn their support, while Norway has gone further and called for his resignation. While his support is dwindling in Europe (as of yesterday, Thursday 6, the English FA has officially withdrawn support for him), Infantino is still popular in Africa, South America and parts of Asia. The Argentinian Football Federation have also just declared its full support for Infantino. He needs 106 votes to win reelection, meaning if he loses all 55 votes from UEFA and 35 from CONCACAF, he can still be reelected. In other words, losing Europe alone would not necessarily be enough to remove him – but the race now looks far less certain than it did before the World Cup. Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. 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