FIFA’s formal withdrawal of its July 2026 proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprises and sell a 21 percent minority stake to private investors, including a group led by Thrive Eternal, underpins the near-certain trader view that no equity sale will occur for the 2026 World Cup cycle. Widespread resistance from UEFA’s 55 members, other confederations, and national associations—coupled with resignations of senior advisers and boycott threats—prompted President Gianni Infantino to scrap the plan within days, citing the divisions it created. The governing body emphasized it would never sell football itself, and subsequent reporting through early October shows no revival of similar initiatives. While a new leadership shift or acute revenue shortfall after the expanded tournament could theoretically reopen discussions, the scale of prior opposition makes any equity transaction in 2026 highly improbable.