FIFA president kept Council in the dark over children's tournament financing

FIFA president Gianni Infantino did not inform the FIFA Council that he was soliciting investment proposals from outside investors to finance a proposed Under-15 'World Cup' for children, The Athletic can reveal.

Sources close to three members of the FIFA Council, all of whom remain anonymous as they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, told The Athletic that Infantino did not tell the Council that he was seeking external investment for the project.

The revelation follows last week's reporting that Infantino had held talks over the past year to commercialize an Under-15 festival inspired by baseball's Little League World Series, with proposals encompassing all 211 FIFA nations.

More than $250m in commitments led by Boehly's Eldridge

The Athletic can now further reveal that the proposal had more than $250 million (£183.9m) of financial commitments from investors, led by Todd Boehly's Eldridge. Returns were expected to be secured through local broadcast deals and sponsorship, with many nations competing in a 'World Cup' for the first time.

Infantino requested and then reviewed a proposal drawn up by businessmen including Juan Carlos Rodriguez, the former Mexico Football Federation commissioner, who received backing from Eldridge Industries, the holding company founded and chaired by Boehly, chairman of Chelsea and co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Behind the scenes, those involved held conversations with ESPN, a long-time broadcaster of the Little League World Series, to host the event at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near the Disney World resorts in Orlando, Florida. Under the plans, the opening and closing ceremonies would have been held at Disney, with ESPN on board to broadcast the tournament across the United States.

Infantino also floated an idea for the opening match to be between the national teams of Israel and Palestine, having previously failed at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver in April to get representatives from both football federations to shake hands for a photograph.

Rodriguez, Eldridge and ESPN all declined to comment.

Council members learned of the plan only after reporting

Several members of the FIFA Council told confidantes they only found out about the talks to commercialize a children's competition when it was reported by The Athletic last week. They raised questions over whether spinning off a children's competition for the benefit of outside investors could present challenges to FIFA's non-profit status.

Representatives of those members said they believed Infantino was acting beyond his remit by exploring such proposals without discussing the matter with the FIFA Council, which FIFA's website describes as the "main decision-making body of the organization." It comprises eight vice-presidents along with 28 members elected by member associations, and includes the presidents of each confederation, some of whom were not informed of the plan.

Those members would likely argue that the episode is further evidence of Infantino's highly personalized and centralized approach to FIFA leadership, where too many initiatives are proposed without sufficient consultation with broader stakeholders.

FIFA responds

In a statement, a FIFA spokesperson said the FIFA Council was informed in December 2025 "that the FIFA administration was working to develop a proposal to cover the substantial costs that would be incurred by organising the new FIFA U-15 tournaments."

FIFA added: "The FIFA President informed the FIFA Council that it was important to find financial support for the event in the interest of sustainability, given the significant outlay required for such a venture, and to ensure that it started and continued in the best possible fashion."

However, FIFA did not state that Infantino had ever mentioned the possibility of external investment, or external returns. The organization said instead: "The FIFA administration holds many internal discussions in relation to many proposals. The FIFA Council are invited to approve concrete proposals in accordance with rules and regulations."

FIFA also said no concerns were raised by its own employees about the "commercialisation" of a children's tournament or its possible impact on FIFA's tax status in Switzerland, insisting that "all internal discussions" relating to the project were "in line with the appropriate statutes and governance regulations."

Proposal declined; Azerbaijan to host

FIFA informed Boehly's Eldridge and Rodriguez shortly before the World Cup that it would not proceed with the more than $250 million proposal. It is not known whether Infantino's separate, failed talks with Joshua Kushner's Thrive Eternal fund—which sought to acquire a 21 percent stake in FIFA's commercial and event operations—may have been deemed a conflict with this proposal. Thrive Capital declined to comment last week.

FIFA then announced that the FIFA Bureau of the Council, a group of top directors, had decided the Under-15 event should take place in Azerbaijan in late October, seemingly without external investment at this stage.

A FIFA statement said the decision to go to Baku followed a "thorough assessment by the FIFA administration" and took into account "the world-class sporting and general infrastructure in the host country, which is capable of welcoming thousands of children and support staff in a centralised location."

FIFA first announced plans for the new global Under-15 tournament after a Council meeting in December 2025, confirming it would feature shorter matches and smaller pitches than senior football. The first edition will be for boys only, ahead of a girls' edition in 2027, after which both competitions will be played separately at different times of the year.