Football in Uganda has always felt like it belongs to us. To the fans in Nakivubo. To the kids playing barefoot in Gulu. To the radio commentators who shout until their voices break.
Now FIFA is telling us it might belong to investors too.
What Is FIFA Actually Trying To Do?
FIFA wants to create a new company. They’re calling it FIFA Forward Enterprise — FFE.
In layman language: FFE is “World Cup, Inc.”
Instead of FIFA running the tournaments directly, this new company would handle all the business side. TV rights. Sponsorships. Tickets. The Club World Cup. The men’s and women’s World Cup.
And then FIFA wants to sell 20% to 30% of that company to private investors.
The valuation being thrown around: $20 billion.
That means they’re trying to raise about $4 billion in cash.
Why? FIFA says it’s to grow the game and give more money to member countries.
The $20 Million Offer To Uganda And 210 Other Countries
Here’s where it gets interesting for FUFA and every other FA in Africa.
FIFA’s pitch is simple:
Approve FFE and each country gets a one-time $20 million payout tied to the 2030 World Cup cycle.
Reject it and you keep getting the normal $10 million over 4 years.
For a country like Uganda, $20 million is not small money. That builds 2-3 proper stadiums. That funds youth academies for 10 years. That pays coaches, referees, women’s football.
For many smaller associations across Africa, this is the biggest check they’ve ever been offered. It’s hard to say no.
But nothing is free.
The Trade-Off: Money Now, Control Later
Once you sell part of the World Cup to investors, those investors get a say.
Investors don’t buy into football for love. They buy to get returns. That means pressure for:
1. More tournaments because more games = more TV money
2. Bigger Club World Cups even if players are exhausted
3. Decisions made for profit, not for the game
UEFA has already said “no.” They called it selling the soul of football. The argument is: the World Cup is not a product. It belongs to fans, not to shareholders.
That’s the tension. African FAs need the money. European bodies fear losing control.
And Where Does Trump’s Family Come In?
The name being linked as lead investor is Thrive Eternal, run by Joshua Kushner.
Joshua is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Jared himself was a senior adviser in the Trump White House. Joshua’s firm is expected to anchor the investor group with JP Morgan advising.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has also gotten close to Donald Trump in the last year. Critics say this is why the deal feels political, not just commercial.
To be clear: Trump is not listed as an investor. But the family name is in the room. And in 2026, with the World Cup being hosted in the US, Mexico and Canada, that matters.
So What Should Uganda Do?
This is not an easy call for FUFA.
If we say yes:
We get $20M. We can fix facilities. We can pay players on time. We can invest in grassroots. That money changes lives.
If we say no:
We keep $10M. But we also keep a vote against a model that could turn football into just another asset class.
The elite debate will be about governance, independence, and the future of the game.
The ordinary debate in Kampala bars will be simpler: “Will we finally get a stadium that works?”
Both are valid.
Final Word
FFE is not about football. It’s about who gets to own football.
FIFA is betting that African and Asian associations will take the money and vote yes. Europe is betting that principle still matters more than cash.
Uganda is caught in the middle. We need the money. But we also need to ask: 20 years from now, when our children watch the World Cup, will it still feel like it belongs to them? Or will it feel like it belongs to a company?
$20 million now. But what do we sell to get it?
