International outcry and UEFA's warning of a potential boycott prompted FIFA to scrap its proposed investment strategy for the World Cup.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has abandoned plans to allow private investment in the World Cup, a proposal that sparked widespread outrage and opposition from his allies, following a highly successful 48-team World Cup spread over three countries.

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The controversy began on Tuesday when The Times newspaper broke the story, prompting UEFA to issue a strongly worded statement, "None of us are the owners of football, it is not FIFA's to sell."

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FIFA initially declined to comment, but later revealed details of the plan, stating it would retain a majority share in FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and hoped to raise $4.2 billion by selecting long-term investors to purchase minority, non-controlling interests.

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British Prime Minister Andy Burnham strongly opposed the proposal, stating, "The World Cup is not a product, it is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone's to sell," in a post on X.

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On Wednesday, CONCACAF, the governing body for Central and North American football, expressed deep concern over not being consulted, sharing the disappointment of many within the region and the game.

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The European Union also voiced its opposition, saying "Hands off our game," while the Asian Football Confederation expressed disappointment at not being informed of the plans.

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Infantino sent a letter to FIFA's member associations, offering $40 million to each if they backed the plan, but they had to sign up by September 19, according to various media outlets.

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Infantino released a video message on Wednesday, stating that fans worldwide would gain from the proposal, but it did little to calm tempers.

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On Thursday, UEFA announced it would boycott all FIFA competitions, with president Aleksander Ceferin saying, "No UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive."

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The European Union supported UEFA's decision, praising them for "defending the integrity of the game," while CONCACAF's 41 members unanimously rejected the proposal.

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Despite the mounting criticism, FIFA initially pushed forward, issuing a statement that it was proceeding with the plan, saying, "Nobody is selling football," and that it respected the feedback from confederations.

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However, the situation took a turn when Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's Special Advisor, resigned, stating he had no involvement in the proposal and opposed it unequivocally, calling it a "bad deal" for FIFA's member associations, football, and the game's long-term future.

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The Asian Football Confederation also weighed in, expressing concern over the possibility of a FIFA World Cup boycott, while British Prime Minister Andy Burnham called Infantino "the wrong man for the job."

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South America's governing body, CONMEBOL, which is seen as close to Infantino, requested "additional information and clarifications" but failed to support the proposal.

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Finally, on Saturday, Infantino abandoned the plan, stating, "Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve, as a result, this proposal will not proceed."