Inside FIFA’s 2026 Money Play: Debt, Tournaments, and a Kushner Connection

As the football world eagerly anticipates the expanded 2026 World Cup across North America, FIFA's back-room financial strategies are coming to light. According to a bombshell report by The Guardian, the governing body is pitching an aggressive, debt-fueled expansion model to its members, relying on a leaked 25-page sales deck produced by investment banking giant JP Morgan. The document, titled "Fifa Forward Enterprise Member Materials," lays bare FIFA's roadmap to convince its member associations to greenlight the sale of the World Cup's commercial rights. At the heart of this audacious plan is the creation of a brand-new commercial entity. FIFA intends to sell a 20% stake in this new venture to Joshua Kushner, a prominent US investor and the brother of Jared Kushner, former White House senior advisor and son-in-law to Donald Trump. So, how exactly does FIFA plan to boost its already staggering revenues? The leaked presentation pulls no punches: the strategy relies on saturating the market with more global tournaments, significantly jacking up ticket prices, and embracing debt financing. Essentially, the pitch promises immense financial growth, but it relies heavily on packing an already crowded football calendar and leveraging borrowed money against the sport's biggest assets. Perhaps the most glaring takeaway from the 25-page presentation, however, is what it doesn't say. In a roadmap supposedly charting the financial future of the global game, there is a deafening silence regarding women's football. Despite the soaring popularity and undeniable commercial viability of the Women's World Cup, FIFA's moneymaking blueprint apparently fails to mention the women's game at all. As the 2026 World Cup approaches, this aggressive commercial pivot raises serious questions about the soul of the sport. Are we witnessing the dawn of a hyper-commercialized era of football driven by Wall Street logic and high-profile political connections? With member associations reviewing the materials, the beautiful game's financial future may soon be decided not on the pitch, but in the boardroom.