FIFA president Gianni Infantino reportedly did not inform the FIFA Council about soliciting investment proposals from external investors for financing a planned Under-15 World Cup for children. Sources close to three anonymous FIFA Council members revealed this information to The Athletic, stating that Infantino did not disclose his efforts to seek funding from outside sources for the project.
The proposal aimed to commercialize an Under-15 festival inspired by baseball’s Little League World Series, planning to include all 211 FIFA nations. Infantino reviewed a proposal designed by businessmen including Juan Carlos Rodríguez, the former commissioner of the Mexico Football Federation. Rodríguez received support from Eldridge Industries, a global holding company chaired by Todd Boehly, who is also the chairman of Premier League team Chelsea and co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Discussions were held with ESPN, a regular broadcaster of the Little League World Series, to host the event at their ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Disney World resorts in Orlando, Florida. Plans included opening and closing ceremonies at Disney, with ESPN agreeing to broadcast the tournament in the United States. Infantino also envisioned the opening match to be between Israel and Palestine’s national teams but failed to achieve cooperation on the matter during the FIFA Congress in Vancouver.
The proposal sought over $250 million (£183.9m) from investors, led by Boehly’s Eldridge, with intentions to generate returns from local broadcast deals and sponsorship. Various partnership lengths with FIFA branding and licensing for both 20-year and 30-year periods were discussed. Dan O’Toole, FIFA’s chief of staff, closely worked on the plan, similar to earlier discussions with J.P. Morgan concerning Infantino’s attempt to sell stakes in FIFA’s events and commercial operations to Thrive Eternal fund.
Numerous FIFA Council members learned about the commercialization plans only after The Athletic reported them. They raised concerns about whether dedicating a children’s competition to external investors might challenge FIFA’s nonprofit status. Representatives of these members expressed belief that Infantino acted beyond his remit by pursuing such proposals without discussing them with the FIFA Council.
“The FIFA Council is described by FIFA’s website as the ‘main decision-making body of the organization,’ comprising eight vice-presidents and 28 members elected by member associations,” representatives noted. Confounding the situation, some confederation presidents were not informed, reinforcing perceptions of Infantino’s centralized leadership approach where initiatives arise without adequate stakeholder consultation.
A FIFA spokesperson stated the FIFA Council was informed in December 2025 that efforts to develop a proposal to finance the substantial costs for organizing the new FIFA U-15 tournaments were underway. However, details about external investment were not disclosed. FIFA assured, “No concerns were raised” internally about ‘commercialization’ of the tournament or its tax status impact in Switzerland. “All internal discussions” reportedly complied with “appropriate statutes and governance regulations.”
FIFA notified Eldridge and Rodríguez that the $250 million proposal was shelved shortly before the World Cup. Whether Infantino’s secret talks with Kushner’s Thrive Eternal to acquire a stake in FIFA’s operations conflicted with this proposal is unclear. Thrive Capital declined to comment when questioned about their awareness of FIFA’s commercialization plans.
FIFA expressed openness about creating a global Under-15 tournament, initially announced post a December 2025 FIFA Council meeting. The event would feature shorter matches and smaller pitches than standard football. The first Edition in 2027 solely involves boys, with a separate girls’ tournament to follow, ultimately organizing boys and girls events at different times annually.
After declining external proposals before the World Cup, FIFA later declared that the FIFA Bureau of the Council decided the event should be hosted in Azerbaijan in late October, seemingly without any external investment. According to FIFA, the choice followed a “thorough assessment by the FIFA administration” considering Azerbaijan’s world-class infrastructure suitable for accommodating thousands of children and staff centrally.