Joshua Kushner regrets involvement in aborted Fifa World Cup investment plan
6 sources • 2 min read • Latest: Sep 1, 2026, 9:24 PM
Last updated Sep 1, 2026
Venture capitalist Joshua Kushner has expressed regret for his role in a scrapped plan led by Fifa president Gianni Infantino to sell stakes in the World Cup. Kushner stated he failed to understand the political complexities of global football before agreeing to lead a $4.2 billion investment in a new commercial subsidiary. The proposal, known as the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, was abandoned in July after receiving significant backlash from member associations. Uefa is currently seeking subpoenas in New York for documents from Thrive Capital and advisor Greg Maffei as part of an investigation into the matter. While Kushner stated he remains behind the original motivations of the project to distribute capital to smaller nations, he confirmed he would not have participated had he anticipated the resulting conflict. Uefa is considering a formal criminal complaint against the Fifa leadership regarding the valuation and approval process of the deal.
- •Joshua Kushner founded the investment firm Thrive Capital.
- •Fifa canceled the $4.2 billion World Cup equity plan in July.
- •Uefa is seeking court-ordered subpoenas for documents related to the deal.
- •The proposed valuation of the World Cup stake was estimated at £15 billion.
- •Joshua Kushner recently reached an agreement to acquire the Los Angeles Lakers.
- 11:04 PMESPN — Kushner says he regrets role in WC sell-off plan
- 9:24 PMYahoo Sports — Kushner says he regrets involvement with FIFA's World Cup sell-off plan
- 1:29 PMYahoo Sports — Joshua Kushner regrets involvement in World Cup sell-off plan
- 10:46 PMYahoo Sports — Kushner blames soccer power struggle for World Cup plan collapse
- 6:39 PMYahoo Sports — Kushner states regret over World Cup sell-off plan
- 6:38 PMBBC Sport — Kushner states regret over World Cup sell-off plan
"FIFA's intended investment partner Josh Kushner has said he regrets getting involved in Gianni Infantino's failed World Cup sell-off plan that provoked a huge rift in global soccer and has pulled him into legal action. In his first comments about the ongoing crisis for FIFA, Kushner acknowledged that “we failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football.” “Had we known what this would devolve into, we would not have gotten involved,” Kushner said in comments made Monday to Axios.
"Investor Joshua Kushner on Monday blamed power struggles within global football for the outrage over FIFA's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup, admitting his firm "would not have gotten involved" if it had anticipated the backlash.FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) was a plan to bring private investment into FIFA events, including the World Cup, by selling stakes in a new $20 billion commercial subsidiary.
"Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, admits he ‘failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football’ when he backed the controversial plans of under-fire Fifa president Gianni Infantino
Sources
External links- ESPNSep 1, 2026, 11:04 PMKushner says he regrets role in WC sell-off plan
FIFA's intended investment partner Josh Kushner has said he regrets getting involved in Gianni Infantino's failed World Cup sell-off plan.
- Yahoo SportsSep 1, 2026, 9:24 PMKushner says he regrets involvement with FIFA's World Cup sell-off plan
FIFA's intended investment partner Josh Kushner has said he regrets getting involved in Gianni Infantino's failed World Cup sell-off plan that provoked a huge rift in global soccer and has pulled him into legal action. In his first comments about the ongoing crisis for FIFA, Kushner acknowledged that “we failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football.” “Had we known what this would devolve into, we would not have gotten involved,” Kushner said in comments made Monday to Axios.
- Yahoo SportsSep 1, 2026, 1:29 PMJoshua Kushner regrets involvement in World Cup sell-off plan
Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, admits he ‘failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football’ when he backed the controversial plans of under-fire Fifa president Gianni Infantino
- Yahoo SportsAug 31, 2026, 10:46 PMKushner blames soccer power struggle for World Cup plan collapse
Investor Joshua Kushner on Monday blamed power struggles within global football for the outrage over FIFA's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup, admitting his firm "would not have gotten involved" if it had anticipated the backlash.FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) was a plan to bring private investment into FIFA events, including the World Cup, by selling stakes in a new $20 billion commercial subsidiary.
- Yahoo SportsAug 31, 2026, 6:39 PMKushner states regret over World Cup sell-off plan
Venture capitalist Joshua Kushner says he would not have got involved in Fifa president Gianni Infantino's scrapped plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup if he had known how the football world reacted.
- BBC SportAug 31, 2026, 6:38 PMKushner states regret over World Cup sell-off plan
Venture capitalist Joshua Kushner says he would not have got involved in Fifa president Gianni Infantino's scrapped plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup if he had known how the football world reacted.
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