On Thursday, July 30, 2026, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), sharply criticized FIFA's plan to create a $20 billion commercial subsidiary to manage the World Cup and other events. In a letter to the AFC's 47 member national football federations, seen by Reuters, he described FIFA's lack of consultation as "totally unacceptable" and expressed concern that the move undermines the sport's existing continental framework.

"The AFC notes with great concern and disappointment that it was not consulted by FIFA at any level prior to the public announcement of this proposal," Sheikh Salman wrote. He added that the AFC had not received any detailed governance, financial, or legal analysis of the plan and its potential repercussions.

The Kuala Lumpur-based AFC, one of FIFA's six confederations, oversees regional competitions across Asia, the Middle East, and Australia. Sheikh Salman emphasized that the proposal would not succeed without the support of all confederations and called for FIFA President Gianni Infantino's plan to be "thoroughly examined and discussed through the appropriate legal and governance channels." He also questioned the tight timeline given to member associations to approve the plan.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, in a letter to all 211 football associations earlier this week, stated that each association would receive $40 million if they agreed to the proposal by September 19, 2026.

The AFC urged its members to await the outcome of consultations and necessary review processes before taking a position on the proposal.

This development has drawn criticism from regional confederations, including the AFC, which said they were blindsided by FIFA's announcement made on Tuesday, July 29, 2026.

Sources