The Caribbean just turned down up to one billion US dollars from FIFA. But was it the right decision?
I don’t usually cover sports, but make no mistake: this is a major business story.
CONCACAF—representing the Caribbean, Central America and North America—has rejected FIFA’s proposal to sell part of the business behind the World Cup to private investors.
And despite how much money was being offered, I think it made the right decision.
FIFA wants to create a new commercial company called FIFA Forward Enterprise.
That company would manage the money-making operations connected to the World Cup and FIFA’s other competitions—including broadcasting, sponsorships, ticketing and licensing.
It would reportedly be valued at US$20 billion, with up to 20 per cent sold to private investors. FIFA could raise as much as US$4.2 billion upfront.
FIFA would remain in control—but private shareholders would, for the first time, own part of the business behind the World Cup.
Why does that matter?
FIFA is currently a non-profit association. It already makes billions of dollars, but it has no shareholders. Its surplus is supposed to remain within football—either held in reserve or reinvested in tournaments, facilities, coaching and football development.
Under the new structure, private investors would put up money in exchange for a financial return. That means part of the future value generated by the World Cup could ultimately benefit private shareholders—not just football.
To make the proposal attractive, FIFA offered each member association access to up to US$40 million during the 2027-to-2030 cycle.
For Jamaica, that’s more than J$6 billion.
And with 25 FIFA-affiliated associations in the Caribbean, the region could potentially have accessed a combined US$1 billion.
That money could have transformed football across the Caribbean: better fields, training facilities, youth academies, women’s programmes and national-team preparation.
In fact, Jamaica Football Federation President Michael Ricketts initially said he personally supported the initiative in principle—even before discussing it with the JFF executive.
But CONCACAF and all 41 of its member associations have now collectively rejected the proposal.
CONCACAF says it has deep concerns about the lack of due process, FIFA’s unusually short deadline and the fact that the deal had not been properly reviewed or approved by FIFA’s relevant governance bodies.
It also questioned why FIFA needs outside investment immediately after what CONCACAF described as the most profitable World Cup in history.
UEFA has gone even further. Europe’s 55 associations have threatened to boycott FIFA competitions unless the proposal is completely withdrawn.
And I understand why.
FIFA already controls the most popular sporting competition in the world and reported approximately US$9.5 billion in assets at the end of 2025.
Why should it permanently surrender part of the World Cup’s future earnings in exchange for money it arguably does not need?
Turning down up to US$1 billion could not have been an easy decision for Caribbean football.
But accepting money today would also mean helping FIFA create a permanent financial obligation to private shareholders tomorrow.
And that’s the bottom line.
So, what do you think? Did CONCACAF protect the future of Caribbean football? Or should the region have taken the money?
